No Declarations Or Expectations
by filesfreak4life
Summary: They were moving towards something... she knew that, but maybe it wasn't what it seemed. One night of no declarations or expectations forces the walls around Kate Beckett to come crumbling down. Caskett goodness set in fourth seasonish.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Okay, I did a similar idea with another show's ship, but this is turning out to be so much more fun than that one! I hope you enjoy it, because I'm really enjoying writing it. Review if you would like to let me know what you're thoughts are!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned them… I'd have at least two houses somewhere warm to escape all this freaking snow!**

It had been a particularly long few weeks with the case they were pursuing… it seemed like every time they caught a break, it went in another direction and they were forced to go another way. It was right after the New Year, and Gates even acknowledged the fact that it was a crappy way to start off that January.

The whole team was given the weekend off, so Castle took a chance and asked Kate over for a movie night and Chinese. They were moving toward something. He hadn't confronted her about the fact that he knew she had heard him when she was shot. He was angry when he heard her tell the suspect that she had remembered every detail, but then took a step back to realize that she must have had her reasons. Kate was never one to jump into anything when it really involved her heart, and it had taken them this long to get to the point where they could talk about the bigger issues. She needed more time.

She agreed to the movie and dinner, which had surprised him. So they sat side by side on the couch, watching a movie while Castle went through all of the demons in his head telling him that maybe she wasn't ever going to be ready for them. He had that inner battle until halfway through the movie, when she fell asleep and was currently cutting off the circulation in his arm. He knew in that instant that she was comfortable with him and allowing him to see her so vulnerable after such a hard week was new for her.

Looking down, he notices the stray lock of hair that falls across her face, and dares to tuck it behind her ear. After which he takes in the rest of her beauty… something that he could certainly spend the rest of his life staring at.

She stirs almost immediately after the gesture, almost sensing him watching her for a moment, "Castle?"

"You had a piece of hair in your face… I uh… I didn't want it to bother you…" he says, trying to back up his actions with a logical explanation.

"I fell asleep?" she asks, still not making a move to remove herself from the comfort of his half embrace. It felt to warm to leave there, she thought… warm and safe.

"You did. It was a long week… I don't blame you."

"You take such good care of me Castle."

"Always." He says simply.

He doesn't notice that her eyes come fully alert at that statement, looking up at his face with a look that even she can't explain herself. It had been their thing as long as she could remember, the word that meant much more than the two syllables it actually was.

She can't help herself when she closes the distance between them, and notices the shock on his face before their lips meet.

It was tentative at first, nothing like the kiss they shared when trying to save their partners from harm. It was sweet and promising and everything that she wanted from someone.

"Kate?" he questions, when they pull back after a slow minute of lips dancing, breathless.

"I'm sorry… I shouldn't have." She says quickly, starting to sit up before he pulls her back to him.

They sit in silence for a few minutes, with his hand drawing lazy circles up and down her arms, "You don't have to apologize for that, Kate."

"If I really tell you something… will you promise to not take any offense to it?" she asks.

"I don't know… based on how you just phrased that question, I'm wondering if I should be nervous." He replies, turning a bit to see the look on her face.

She pauses for a moment, biting her lip in that way that drives him crazy, before starting what would probably be the hardest conversation of her life up until that point. "What if the tension is really all there is? What if everything between the two of us is based on the fact that we want to see how the other scratches that itch?"

He stares at her for a moment, thinking to himself that while she may have been right three years ago with that statement, how could she think that after all these years… after all they've been through? She was so much more to him than a conquest. Hadn't she learned that the playboy act was just that…an act?

"You might not be aware of this, but I know… I know that you remember everything. So where is this coming from?"

Her eyes go wide at this, not ready to think or talk about this part of their relationship, just wanting to delve over what she thought was the easy part. Sex was easy… love and the actual relationship was the hard part… the part she always ran from.

"I love you Kate… I told you that months ago, and you haven't said anything… you've lied and said that you didn't remember anything. I've respected that fact, knowing that you needed time, but now this…"

"I wasn't ready for that, Castle… I'm still not ready for that."

"Kate, I love you." He says again.

"…and I'm wondering if you love me or you love the idea of me." She says with a shrug and looks to the floor with an almost shy glance.

Everyone had told her at some point that there was more to the two of them. Esposito told her that a million books could be written, but he was still there. Lanie pointed out that the two of them would be perfect together, and when Roy Montgomery was alive he told her that Castle was good for her. He was, but maybe it wasn't as deep as they all thought it was. Maybe their friendship was all they needed.

"Okay… so how do I prove it to you?" he asks.

"I don't need to you prove anything to me, but I think that we should entertain the thought that this could just be about sex." She says looking back up to him, trying to dispel her thoughts.

"And how do we entertain that thought?"

At that, she just raises an eyebrow and the slightest of smirks comes to her face. If she's being honest with herself, she's thought about this more than she should admit. They could be explosive in bed… or he could be just like every other man she's ever been with and her point will be proven… it isn't love… they're just good friends.

"One night… no expectations… no declarations…"

"And what if this changes everything?"

"Castle, it's not going to change the fact that you're one of my best friends, that I care about you, and that you're my partner. We go back to normal…"

"And if you want more than normal? If I do after this?" he asks, knowing damn well that he was in love with every part of her… not just her body. He wouldn't be able to go back to just normal because he knew that they were more than that.

"I can tell you right now Castle, that I'm not ready for that…. I'm still figuring out everything that I need to be free of some of my demons. I'm not ready for a relationship with you like that… but maybe this will help me realize what could be."

He sits for a moment, contemplating her suggestion… really thinking that maybe this was it. Maybe this was the only chance he was going to get to show this woman how much he loves her in the romantic way. He also thinks that maybe this could be the absolute worst idea in both their lives. If he gave in to this, he was just like every other guy she had ever been with, and that wasn't what he wanted.

"Deal…. On one condition."

She's almost surprised when he puts his hand out to shake hers in the age old act of making a deal with someone. She never thought he would actually go for it…. And now she doesn't know if this is such a good idea.

"You were bluffing…" he says simply, dropping his hand and his eyes.

"I thought I was at the beginning… but now… not so much." She says, pulling on his hand and kissing him with all that she has.

"One night?" he asks.

"One night. Conditions?"

"Kate, I know that I just told you this, but I do need you to know that right now… in my gut, this isn't going to be just sex for me. Maybe we do the deed and I realize that it wasn't what I made it to be in my head. Or maybe I realize how much more you are to me with this. If we do this, you said no declarations… well, since it isn't a new declaration, I'm going to tell you again, that I love you. If you can handle that… then we do this. I don't want you to ever feel like I just wanted to use you for sex."

"Castle, that is not what I think, but I do think that maybe we've built this up in our heads and it could be the opposite of what we actually want."

"Then we agree?"

She nods.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: All right... here is the next installment of this one. I'm actually trying something new because I'm trying to write the whole thing in its entirety before I catch up in posting it... that way I'll have to finish it! I'm already like 15,000 words in, so yay for me! I hope that you enjoy this... review if you would like to tell me your thoughts!**

It's hours later when the shrill ringing of her phone wakes both of them from the peaceful slumber of a satisfying evening. Being honest with herself would mean that last night was the most fun she ever had in bed. Men she was with for months and almost years didn't know her as well as Castle did, and it astounded her how well they were together.

She snaps out of her thoughts when the ringing continues, and turns in his embrace to grab the offensive item, "Beckett."

He only hears her end of the conversation, and chooses to take in Katherine Beckett in the morning. It's early, so the morning light is just breaking into his bedroom, casting a hazy glow on her tan skin. He never thought that a woman could take his breath away the way she did on a regular basis. Knowing what he knows now makes his breathing speed up more than it normally does when she's around. Every part of her is beautiful… the way they fit together was unlike anything he ever felt.

"Yeah… I'll be there in a bit then. Text me the address."

"So much for time off, huh?" she jokes to the person on the other end.

"Oh… I'll text him or call him on the way." She says, finally glancing toward the other side of the bed.

She hits end and allows herself to fall back onto the bed, running a hand through her hair allowing more flashes of the previous night to enter her head for a brief moment.

"The precinct?" he asks, still staring at her, noticing a subtle blush creeping up her neck.

"Espo… body dropped on the West side." She says, still making no move to leave the bed.

He lays there for a few moments, not knowing exactly how to approach this morning after what they did last night… several times.

"I don't regret it, Castle." She says simply, not looking in his direction.

"You don't?" he asks, and her heart almost breaks at what she hears in that statement… the hope there and the relief that what they did wasn't about to ruin them.

"No… and if I'm going to be terribly honest… I don't think I could ever regret that… it was…"

"extraordinary?" he supplies, and then smiles when she turns to him with a smile of her own.

"I won't feed your ego anymore, but just know that I don't regret it at all."

"And now…"

"Now, I get dressed and make my way to the crime scene, you go get me my coffee and I'll see you there."

"That's it?" he asks, with a question in his eyes.

"One night…" she says.

He nods, "One night."

He can't help but run through the images of last night in his head as she gets dressed… thinking about how perfect they were together in everything. Despite what she says about not regretting it, the way she methodically gets ready for the day has him almost thinking that could be it for them… that one evening… when she turns to him just before leaving his bedroom.

"Castle?" she says and he sits up to give her his attention. "I need time… but… you and me… it's not just about sex… it is more…I know that now… I probably knew it before… I just…"

"You need time." He fills in for her. "I get that Kate… I do."

With a small smile, knowing that maybe this time he wouldn't push her like he normally does, but actually let her come to her own conclusions.

* * *

"What have we got?" she says, approaching the body and the medical examiner crouched down next to it.

"Our vic was shot from point blank range, so this was not someone who was afraid to get personal. However, from what I can see, and based on the tearing of some of the clothing, I would say they were dragged from…." Lanie starts and then looks up to Kate and trails off for a moment.

"What did you do different?" she asks, and Kate is forced to snap out of her own examination of the scene.

"What?" she questions.

"Is it your hair?" she asks.

"It's no different from the way it always is… now can we get back to the victim?"

With a critical eye, Lanie scans her once more before turning back to her explanation of the victim.

Kate hates the insights of her best girlfriend. She always knows when there is something wrong and she always knows when something's on her mind. If she really knew what was on her mind right now, she's sure that even Lanie would blush.

Castle shows up right as they are heading back from the crime scene, holding up his coffee for Kate as he always does.

"We done here?"

"We are…. And thank you." She says, holding up the coffee in a cheers motion and smiling back at him.

They're walking quietly when he says, "You know why I bring you coffee every day?"

"Because you've learned that if I don't get my caffeine in the morning I might actually pull my gun on you?" she says jokingly.

"Actually no…" he says, looking around to make sure no one was watching before putting a hand to her elbow to get her full attention, "It's to see that smile. It makes my day."

She looks up at him and realizes that things have changed. They were moving towards something and while he might not push… he's going to be very open in telling her the ways he loves her. She just might let him continue to be open.

She smiles shyly in return, "Come on Castle… let's solve a murder."

* * *

She's actually surprised at the way they continue the dance they do. He still works with her side by side, and there is this unspoken agreement that something is coming, but they don't know when. She is still working with her therapist on all the things she wants to better in her life and told Castle about her doctor a little bit. They spend a bit more time together out of the precinct… a few dinners here and there or a movie night with Alexis at the loft.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, something's different though. It isn't them per se, but her. Kate dismisses the feeling and Castle is only aware of the subtle things that seem off.

They got called to a new crime scene a month later and she swung by to pick him up on the way, so they arrive at the scene together. It was dark, but the CSU team had enough lights around the scene that it was lit up like a Christmas tree. Again Lanie was crouched down examining the body, but what happened when they stepped closer was something that Castle couldn't explain.

He saw her breathing hitch a bit when they approached the body, as it rarely does at some particularly gruesome scenes. This didn't seem to be something that would rattle her though, a single gunshot wound to the stomach and some bruising around the face that suggested beating. When he sees her glance in his direction, he notices that her breathing isn't coming back to normal. A glance to everyone else tells him that they haven't noticed it, so he moves up next to her.

At his subtle move, she makes one of her own and sticks a hand behind her back, palm upturned in a gesture that looked like she needed someone to hold her hand. So he did… placing his hand in hers, making sure to keep it out of the view of everyone else at the scene.

He kept his hand in hers, noticing how every now and then she would squeeze it a little bit more. Her breathing calmed down after a few minutes of this and she was able to ask Lanie all the necessary questions while putting a death grip around his hand a few times.

It was when they got to the car that he asked her, "What was that? You okay?"

She shrugs her shoulders, "I'm fine… I just… I'm fine."

"You sure?"

Actually no… she wasn't sure because she couldn't explain what happened at the crime scene. Her head wasn't all there and her body was betraying her. At the same time she realized that she hadn't needed to say a word to him for him to understand something was wrong. It was the best feeling to know that someone could predict you like that… knew you that well.

"Castle, you're always going to be there, right?" she asks simply.

"Always."

"Then I'm fine." She says with another shrug.

He passed it off as a random thing until she does it again at a morning crime scene two weeks later… breathing hitched and a hand held out behind her back. Only this time, he saw the color leave her face when Lanie pulled back the tarp covering the body.

"You okay?" he whispers.

She nods in reply and continues going through the normal motions of a crime scene, appearing calm and collected to everyone around her, but holding his hand again.

"Kate I'm worried… this is the second time that's happened." He asks, when the doors of her vehicle are closed.

"Castle, I'm fine… I just… I don't know, they've been hitting me harder than normal lately and I just needed the support. You were there, so I'm fine."

"Has something come up in therapy that is making this harder? The crime scenes, I mean?"

She had started letting him in on a little bit of what was going on in therapy when something jogged her memory from a session. She would offer up a piece of herself and he would listen, sometimes asking a question when she was done and sometimes just nodding in acknowledgement of the gesture.

"No… I don't know. Something feels off, and I can't put it to words."

"Tell him that." He says easily, knowing that she has brought up things he suggested she talk about a few times, including Gates and her position at the precinct.

"I will next time…" she says, looking over at him for a moment before leaning in to kiss him on the cheek, "thanks Rick."

"Oooh… Rick this time, huh? I'm moving up the ranks."

This earned him the famous Kate Beckett eye roll, which served to make his smile only grow wider. He loved those eye rolls nearly as much as he loved her smiles.

* * *

"Beckett…" she faintly hears, while someone is gently nudging her shoulder.

It's then that she realizes where she is and what she's doing, falling asleep at her desk while working on paperwork again. Last week she had done the same thing while reading a case file in the break room and it was Castle who had gently shaken her awake, telling her that she worked too long and too hard.

"Espo?" she asks, confused as to what exactly was going on.

"Your phone is ringing, and you… well… you fell asleep." He says, giving her an odd look.

"Beckett." She says, not bothering to glance at who was calling her.

"Hey Beckett, I was wondering what was on the docket today." Castle says through the phone.

"Where are you Castle?" she asks, finally taking in the empty chair by her desk.

"I'm at my meeting about that week long book tour up the west coast."

"I thought that tour wasn't happening until the first week in March?"

"Which is next week, Beckett… seriously, you need to look at your calendar. And I love that you remembered when the book tour was, it must mean that you're going to miss me."

She honestly stopped listening to him after he enlightened her to the date. That just wasn't possible. Had the months flown by that quickly? Then it all clicked into place, in a terrifying key in lock sort of way that made her gasp just a tiny bit.

"Beckett?"

"Hmm?" she says, still distracted.

"You aren't going to give a snarky comment?"

"No… actually, Castle, I'm in the middle of something. Can I call you back? You don't have to worry about coming in today, but maybe tomorrow you can come in. We are going to be looking through some old cases unless we have a body drop."

"Okay… you okay, Kate?" he asks, using her first name to show his concern.

"I'm fine Castle… I'll see you tomorrow."

She clicks on the calendar for her computer, noting the particular date that has her worried. It's after that, that she flips through the business cards in her wallet and dials the number she usually just calls once a year and schedules an appointment that she isn't sure she should be making.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Okay, so I'm loving the feedback I'm getting from people. In honor of last night's awesome episode, I decided to publish another chapter today! Now, fair warning that there is going to be angst down the road folks... I can't just give them the happy ending we all want! hehe... but don't worry, I won't disappoint! Hope you enjoy this and if you do... review to let me know!**

They were able to get her in that afternoon, which was both nerve racking and relieving at the same time.

"Katherine?" the nurse calls, and she gets up on shaky legs.

The woman smiles as she takes her blood pressure and all the standard things they do each time she goes into a doctor's office. She hates going to any doctor, but this particular doctor is a special brand of horror for women. It may be necessary, but she hates the yearly appointments, and might hate this even more for its surprise.

"So what brings you here today?"

"I uh… There's a possibility that I'm… oh God… okay… I think I might be pregnant…" she finally says out loud for the first time, and then continues her string of thoughts out loud to the nurse, "and I didn't think that until this morning, but if I am then I'm actually a few months along and I don't know if I've done something wrong, so I'm worried that if I am there—"

"Miss Beckett!" the nurse calls out a little more loudly than necessary, "First, you need to calm down, because if you are pregnant… high blood pressure isn't good for the baby. Second, I'm going to go get the supplies to get a blood sample and we're going to verify the pregnancy. And if you are, then we'll get the sonogram in here and look around. For now… I need you to relax."

When the nurse leaves, she's left to sit in the room by herself. She hates when people tell her to relax, but she knows that in this case it is absolutely necessary. Calm down, Kate. She tries to slow her breathing and focus.

She thinks about Castle… about that night, and she can't help the blush that comes to her cheeks. They weren't exactly careful and she, who hadn't been with anyone since Josh, wasn't too particular about her pills. This would be fitting of the two of them though… one time and… this.

"Kate, how are you?" Dr. Meyers walks in the door, holding out the syringe and vial.

"I'm doing better than a few minutes ago." She says with a hesitant smile, "and I think I'll be better when I know something conclusive."

"Yeah, Jody said that you were a little shell shocked for a minute there. I figured that I would come in and take the blood, unless you want to do this the easier way?"

"What do you mean?"

"You can give me a urine sample. Jody mentioned that you said that if you were pregnant you would be further along?"

"I um… I know when the conception would have been… and that was the beginning of January."

"Well, we can do the blood test, which will take a bit longer, or we can do a traditional pregnancy test. If you know that conception would have been two months ago, your hormones would definitely be detected with a urine sample. It goes faster. The blood test is better for earlier detection."

"Okay." Kate says, taking the small plastic cup from the doctor and heading back out into the main area.

Why do you always have to pee at doctor's offices? It's always uncomfortable and in the moment you can never do it. Coupled with the fact that she was absolutely freaking out, this might take a while.

When Kate finally gets back in the room, the doctor is wheeling in some other equipment and smiles brightly at Kate coming back, taking the sample from the woman quickly.

"All right. I brought all this in for if we need it, but let me just get this started first." She says, going through the motions of the test.

When it's done, she sits back down on the chair facing Kate. "Okay. You are indeed pregnant."

The breath comes out in a quick huff, and before she can process the information, her doctor is telling her to get up on the table and lifting the front of her shirt.

"Now, before you freak out, which I know you are doing right now… let's look around and make sure everything looks okay. Are you participating in any behavior that could be harmful to the baby or have you been, that would lead you to believe that something could be wrong?"

"No… I uh… I don't know actually. I've never been pregnant, so I don't know what you're supposed to do or not do."

The doctor laughs a bit at this, knowing that for some women the whole pregnancy thing is not as second-nature as it is to some, "There really isn't a lot of stuff that is on the definitely not list until later on in the pregnancy, but are you a smoker, do drugs, drink heavily?"

"No! None of those things."

"Then I think that you'll be just fine. But we are going to take a look anyways."

Kate stares up at the ceiling, trying to wrap her head around the fact that she was pregnant. She and Richard Castle could potentially be having a baby together. Oh God, how was she going to tell him… as she's thinking, a new sound enters the room… a fast wooshing sound that causes Kate to look back towards her doctor.

"Is that what I think it is?" she asks, and the doctor nods.

"The heartbeat is nice and strong, and looking at the baby… I think that you're doing a good job already. I would put you at two and a half months… about 10 weeks."

"We only had sex two mon—"

"We always date the pregnancy two more weeks than conception, because that's when the egg is actually released. You are just fine… you want to see him or her?"

She tentatively nods, glancing towards the screen being turned in her direction. She doesn't even realize that the tears are making their way down her cheeks until the doctor hands her a Kleenex.

In that moment, it seems like everything stops… the fact that there was something inside her, depending on her… was more amazing than any feeling she's ever had. It was surprising her more how happy she was than surprised that she was actually pregnant. This was probably the most random act of fate that she could have thought of, but she was totally okay with it.

"I'll print you a picture."

"Two, if you can?" Kate asks, knowing that whenever she decides to tell Rick, he's going to want to be a part of this. She remembered him telling her about Meredith and her lack of parenting and consideration towards him when she was pregnant with Alexis. She never wanted him anywhere near her and she didn't want him at any of the appointments. She wasn't going to deprive him of that.

"Will do. Now, here's the deal. Keep up any exercise you've been doing but lighten the load a bit, do not stuff your face like many pregnant women do, lay off the caffeine, lay off the booze, and you'll do great. If you have questions, don't hesitate to call and avoid the Internet at all costs. If you do not heed that last piece of advice I may disown you as a patient when you tell me that you read the baby will have a second head because you have a skin rash on your stomach." She says with a smile and Kate laughs.

"I know that you aren't married… and from what you've said even today, I gather that this wasn't planned, so know that there are always other options."

"No. I'm keeping the baby. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind about that."

The second the woman told her she was pregnant, the other options were tossed out the window. She was able, so that baby would be loved. It might prove to be the hardest thing she'd ever do in her life, but she would accept this challenge.

"Okay then. Take the first part of that conversation to heart then, and I want you to schedule an appointment for about four weeks from now. I threw in a prescription for some prenatal vitamins as well. You can also take over the counter ones if you would like. You're a healthy young woman Kate, so I don't see any reason why this pregnancy won't go as smoothly as possible."

Kate nods again, taking in everything at once, including the grainy pictures she had handed to her where you can obviously see the outline of a little bean nestled inside her.

When she gets out of the office, she has an internal battle. Part of her is fighting to run from the situation… not the baby, but to not tell Castle until she has to because she knows that this is something that will break down more of that wall and quickly. Yes, the wall was coming down, slowly… this was going to take a sledge hammer or wrecking ball to the whole thing. The other part of her is reminded by the fact that she got two pictures. She wants him to have a part in this and she won't be like Meredith was. He deserves to be a part of this whole experience, even if she may not know what they are doing with each other.

Yes, they were headed towards something… and now she feels like someone might have thrown them hurtling towards that something. Maybe that was for a reason.

She takes out her phone and dials his number quickly.

"Hey Beckett, you miss me today?" he says, knowing that he would receive an eyeroll over the phone.

"Castle… sometimes you are too cocky for your own good."

"That's something you like about me, and you know it! What's up? Dead body?"

"No… actually, I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me tomorrow night after work?"

"I uh…" he stammers and she knows that she has thrown him for a loop with the request. "Yes… what's the occasion?"

"Um… nothing really, I just… another brick."

"Another…" he trails off and she knows that he understands what she meant by the statement.

"Should I come in tomorrow?"

"Yeah, actually, you can help us review some stuff, and then we can leave from there?"

"I'll be there." He says and then tells her good evening.

She was shaking after the call, freaking out about how she was going to broach the subject. How do you tell a man you slept with once that he was going to be a dad again… how do you tell a man that he's the father of your child when you don't love him or rather you do love him, but you just can't bring yourself to admit it… or maybe you just did. Oh God… This was going to be difficult.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: In honor of Stana Katic's Win and Castle's Win at the People's Choice awards here in America… I give you the next chapter of this lovely little fic. I'm loving the feedback, so keep it coming if you like to review!**

She was awoken about an hour before the alarm went off, alerting her that there was yet another crime scene to make her way to in lower Manhattan.

Never one to disappoint, there was Castle waiting with coffee for her as usual. However the dilemma was that she shouldn't be drinking the coffee, but this was certainly not the place to bring up that fact or the reason behind it.

"Thanks Castle." She says with a smile, bringing the coffee to her lips and feigning that first sip.

"What've we got?" she says approaching the crime scene and for once not feeling the nausea creeping in.

Maybe just the knowledge of the pregnancy would calm the stomach flip flops she'd experienced at those other few crime scenes.

"It was a beating, looks like our vic has plenty of trace on him though, cause whoever did this was in a fit of rage… wasn't very careful." Lanie says, and Kate takes another "sip" of her coffee.

"That's a good thing." Kate replies, "means we'll wrap it up pretty quick, hopefully."

Lanie quirks an eyebrow in her direction and Kate just ignores it, knowing that Lanie read into every possible thing she could read into about everything. There was no way that Beckett was going to be broadcasting the news anytime soon, so she would avoid the stare as much as possible. She was able to avoid any questioning about her and Castle's relationship, so she'll be able to avoid this… at least she hopes.

When one of the uniforms calls her over to another part of the scene, she hands her cup to Ryan who takes it with a shrug. Usually it was Castle that she deemed the holder of all things, but Castle couldn't hold the cup without giving away her lie. However, when Ryan gets called to another portion of the scene, Ryan hands said coffee right back to Castle.

"It's full." He says out loud to no one in particular when he realizes that the cup that she had been drinking from all morning was still as full as when he gave it to her.

He glances over in her direction, watching as she talks to the uniform over what he assumes is another piece of the puzzle. It's then that he notices a small garbage can off to the side and throws her cup away, not being able to understand why she had been faking the drink.

A few minutes later, she comes back over to Castle, who's standing with his hand in his pockets waiting for her to tell him it's time to go back to the precinct.

"You okay Castle?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Open and shut case, huh?"

"Most likely yeah. We're going to go back and check this guy out, and Lanie's going to call us down when she's got what we need as far as evidence goes… hey, where'd my coffee go?" she asks, noticing that he has his cup and Ryan isn't holding hers anymore.

"I don't know, maybe Kevin threw it away?" he says, shrugging his shoulders, but secretly hoping for a reaction out of her.

"Oh… well, that's okay, I was almost done with it anyway." She says with a smile, leading the way back to her vehicle.

"Yeah… we can get you something back at the precinct anyways." He says, looking at her to gauge her reaction.

"I'm good, but thanks Castle." She says with a shaky smile.

She was definitely not going to be able to keep this from him. He knew her too well.

* * *

He keeps staring at her and it unnerves her way more now than it did before, knowing what she knows and knowing about the small picture she has for him in an envelope in her purse. She's planning on giving it to him later when she gets up the nerve to actually tell him about their little surprise.

"Castle, I've told you before to stop staring… are you ever going to learn?"

"No." he says simply with a smile.

"All right then." She says, smiling back at him until the phone rings and shakes her out of her own personal stare.

He watches her answer the phone, tucking a hair behind her ear and telling whoever it is that she'll see them in a minute. He knew that something was different… she seemed softer towards him today as opposed to other days. With tonight's "date" hanging over the day, he can't help but wonder what Kate Beckett had up her sleeve.

"That was Lanie… we've got to go down and get some more information from her. She says that this case might not be as open and shut as we hoped." She says, standing up with a small frown.

When they get down to the morgue, Lanie looks up at her instantly and smirks.

"What?" Kate asks.

"Okay, I thought it earlier, but I didn't say anything. What has gotten into you lately Kate Beckett?" she says, and even Castle is looking at Kate with a questioning glance.

"What are you talking about Lanie?"

"Kate Beckett, you are glowing… like positively glowing. So tell me about the man."

At that, she feels the color drain a bit from her face. "I'm not." She says quickly, trying to get Lanie to back off with this line of commenting. "There's no one… and you're crazy."

She dares a quick look at Castle before turning back to Lanie, who was still staring her down in the way she did when she felt there was gossip.

"… glowing." He whispers, and she turns towards him, waiting for the reaction.

"You said that you had something for us, Lanie. What is it?" She says, turning away from him as quickly as possible. This wasn't how this was going to happen… not if she could help it.

"Oh, I see how you just changed the subject there, but you aren't going to get away with everything."

"Talk." Kate says in her most authoritative voice, not even chancing another glance at Castle, who hasn't said a word since the whisper a few minutes ago.

"All right, but I'm not done with you. It wasn't just one person who beat this guy up. It was several. I'm thinking between three and five people. I have to analyze a few more areas before I can give you a definite number, but this wasn't a solo job."

"Gang?"

"It wouldn't surprise me, but from what Javi told me, the kid was totally straight. That doesn't make any sense to me."

"Javi, huh?" Kate teases, and then instantly regrets it.

"Whatever, Kate you can dish it out but you can't take it… you still haven't told me about the glow." She says, and Kate walks out of the room with Castle on her heels.

"Whatever, Lanie… call me when you've got something."

"Kate, what she…" Castle says, stumbling over his words a bit.

"Nope. We aren't having this conversation Castle. Not right now." She says, and he remains quiet for the rest of the elevator ride.

When they get upstairs and she's standing near her desk, he watches her take a deep breath before pulling an envelope out of her purse and handing it to him. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, but this is how it was going to work.

"Go home, Castle. I need you to take this, and go home, and open it. You open it before you get to the loft and so help me God, Richard Castle, I will kill you, regardless of its contents."

"What is this?"

"Just go home." She says, adding a smile to squelch the worry that she saw creeping into his features.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, he's walking right back through the door, "Beckett!"

"Castle, I thought you were going home for the day." She says, nervously looking at the guys before walking up to him and starting the whispered argument, "Why did you come back?"

"Yeah, no."

She squints at him easily, "I told you to not do it before you got to the loft."

"I waited, I opened it, and I turned right back around and came here." He says, almost challenging her to be mad at him when he is the one who just found out this information.

"You guys good?" Ryan says, watching the exchange between the two in front of the murder board.

"Yeah, we uh… we'll be right back." She says, walking over to her desk to grab her coat.

"You comin' Castle?" she says, turning back to beckon him to follow her.

"Uh… yes. I am."

The unspoken agreement has them getting completely out of the precinct in silence. He keeps throwing glances in her direction, to which she'll give a small smile back.

They make it all the way to the corner, where she knows there's a park before either actually says a word. This was how they did things. This was the same way she told him about her wall, so this was going to be where she told him the one thing that would send that wall tumbling down.

"When did you go to the doctor?" he asks, as they plop into a pair of swings.

"Yesterday afternoon."

"How long have you known though." He says, with a hint of hurt to his voice.

"I promise that I haven't been keeping this from you, Castle. I couldn't do that. Honestly… since yesterday morning. You said something about it being the first week in March next week and I realized a few things. I was worried that I had already done something wrong because I didn't know about it, so I went straight to my doctor for the confirmation."

"And?" He reaches for her hand, worry setting in.

"The baby is good. Strong heartbeat, and she's putting me at 10 weeks." She answers with a smile and a squeeze to his hand, which she realizes has gone limp around hers.

His brow furrows in confusion as he calculates the date in his head. "Oh… I assumed…"

"Castle, this baby is yours. They date it two weeks more because of some thing with the release of the egg or something like that. I wasn't with anyone before you that night and I haven't been with anyone since."

"Oh." He says letting out a sigh of relief.

"You're relieved that it's yours?" she asks with a quirk of the brow.

"Kate, I don't think that I would survive you having a baby with another man right in front of me, not with how in love with you I am… and I know that I'm not supposed to be saying that out loud to you yet, but I am terribly in love with you, and I don't think that I could be any happier with the idea that you are going to be the mother of my second child."

It's then her turn to let out a sigh of relief, knowing that Castle was okay with this was half of her worry. She knew that he would probably be happy, but knowing where they were with each other was an entirely different matter. She knew that he loved her, she just didn't know what to do with that yet.

"So…" he says, glancing over at her to start what he knows is an uncomfortable topic for them, "what about us?"

She takes another deep breath, knowing that yes, they were going to have to talk about this if they were having a baby together. "I don't know, Castle. I mean I am surprisingly excited about this baby. After I had an evening to settle down and realize that you of all people would never leave your child and knowing that even if the two of us weren't lovers we would always be friends… that meant something to me. I'm still scared shitless, but knowing it was you… made it a little less scary."

"It's true… I wouldn't leave this baby, and baby or no baby, I would never leave you. You have to know that, Kate."

"I know, and Castle, I know what we're headed towards, and I'm starting to get there, I really am."

"So we date… like high school date… without the sleepovers and the huge commitments for right now." He suggests, with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Castle, I'm pregnant with your child. Don't you think that we are a little beyond that."

"We are, but if that takes the pressure off, then maybe we act like we aren't beyond that. Beckett, you and I are friends, first and foremost. I think that you and I could be more in a heartbeat, and I know that the attraction is definitely there… I get not wanting your heart all the way there yet. I do. So we date… a little more than friends, but with the knowledge that until you're ready, I'm not going to be getting on one knee…" he says and her eyes go a bit wide, "yes… I would do that in a heartbeat, regardless of the baby."

"What about everyone else?"

"Well, the way that I see it we could go about this a few different ways… we could be open and honest with everyone about it and tell them what happened, we could start dating and they'll realize it, or… and this is my personal favorite… we do what we want in privacy and when you start to show, we don't make a big deal out of it and everyone else freaks out." He says, with a smile at the end, imagining the looks of everyone else at the admission.

"I'm going to have to tell Gates. I can't be going into the field like this."

"No you can't… so maybe you talk to her and tell her that you don't want to be going in to apprehend the bad guys, but you still feel confident that you can be at a crime scene. And you tell her that you don't want anyone else to know about it, so if something comes up, she can play the chief card to get you out of it."

She looks at him and narrows her eyes a bit, taking in his ease of plotting this whole thing out, "Castle, have you thought about this before?"

"You and I finally getting together and keeping it a secret or you and I having a baby together and you still wanting to work?"

"Both."

"Yes." He says simply, and she leans in for a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Let's go back and get this murder solved."

He stands, offering her a hand to stand up as well, "Oh! And Katherine Beckett, would you like to come over tonight for dinner and a movie if we get out at a decent hour?"

She smiles brightly, "I would like that, Castle…. Even though that was already the plan."

Smiling like a proud peacock, he walks beside her back to the precinct.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Again, the responses for this are awesome, so thank you! I hope you are having fun reading. This one will have a mix of things… and an intro into one of my favorite dynamics on the show (Alexis/Beckett), that never gets explored the way I want it to on the actual show. So yeah… let me know what you think with a review!**

They didn't get their date that evening because they were too busy working on the murder. However, it was the second day when the Gang taskforce took over the job that they were able to get a break, and Kate realized that this was as good a time as any to tell the Captain about her little surprise.

She knocks to enter, "Sir, can I have a word?"

"Of course, detective." She replies, gesturing to the chair in front of her and raising an eyebrow when Kate shuts the door behind her. "Is something the matter? I thought you were okay with us turning it over to the Gangs division. You don't think it's something else?"

"No, sir… that's fine, I know that the kid didn't fit in that profile, but those guys are right… it was a gang thing. I told them to keep us in the loop… I just have something that I need to tell you about, but I would like for you to hear the entire plan, if you could. This is incredibly hard for me to bring up… I'm just not the kind of person to let—"

"Detective." She interrupts, putting a hand out to indicate that Kate should just get on with it.

"I'm pregnant. 10 weeks specifically. I wasn't aware of it, or I would have most likely come to you before this. I found out a few days ago, and was still wading through the reaction before I could come talk to you. I know that typically that means that I would be chained to my desk for the next seven months or so, but I wanted to run another idea by you. I am perfectly capable, at least right now, to go to crime scenes and set a murder board. I can build theory and I can solve these cases. Now I'm aware of the danger of my job, but I'm also aware that I am part of a great team, who is more than capable of taking care of the more sketchy aspects of the job, like questioning witnesses outside the precinct and taking down a suspect. If I need to question a non-threatening witness, Castle will always be with me, and I assure you that my priority is this baby, so we will be careful. If there is an instance where I feel like I can't get myself out of a situation and the boys become suspicious, I may ask for your help to get out, but I would rather keep this a secret until it can't be a secret anymore." She says, almost entirely in two breaths and when she finishes, she notes the smirk on the Captain's face.

"You done?" she asks, and Kate nods. "I'm fine with all of that. I don't know why you wouldn't want everyone to know though, Esposito and Ryan will have your back through this… you know that."

"I do know that. We—I just want this to stay hidden a bit longer."

Gates takes a moment to look out into the bullpen, watching Espo and Ryan talking through some paperwork and seeing Castle sitting nervously at the detective's desk.

"That is not my concern then. You keep that baby safe and let me know when you would like to let everyone know. You'll have to fill out paperwork sometime then as well for your maternity leave. If at any time I feel like this arrangement is not safe, I will pull you from this assignment, Detective."

"Okay, thank you sir." Kate says, standing up and moving towards the door.

"Oh, and detective… Congratulations." Gates adds when she opens the door.

"Thank you."

"…and tell Mr. Castle the same please." She adds, and Kate's eyes go a bit wide at the Captain's comment.

Gates just looks up from her desk with a smile and a reassuring glance to let her know that she knows the situation, but has no intention on doing anything about said situation.

When she gets back to her desk, she still has a bit of a shocked expression on her face, and Castle notices immediately.

"Oh no… was it that bad?"

"No, actually, it wasn't and she agreed with everything… and she told me to tell you congratulations too."

His eyes go wide with the implications of that statement much like hers did just a few moments ago. Gates knew about everything now, and that wasn't really something they were prepared for. The baby… yes… them… no.

"And what do you think is going to happen with that?"

Kate takes a moment to look back into Gates' office, noting the small smile on the Captain's face while she's working on her paperwork. "I don't think that anything is going to happen actually. I think that she is fine with it, but I also think that you and I need to make sure that we behave professionally while we are here. I don't want to give her any reason to not let you work with me here at the precinct."

"I agree with that."

"Then we're good."

* * *

It was probably hardest keeping the news from Martha and Alexis, who suspected that there was more going on between the writer and the detective even right after the night they had share months ago. Kate and Castle had been spending more time together, and while they weren't outwardly showing that their relationship was beyond friendship, the two women felt that something was different. Martha, thankfully left a few weeks ago to go on a tour with some theatre friends, but Alexis was not one to let something drop.

"Detective Beckett, I'm glad that you've been around more lately." Alexis says, regarding the woman sitting next to her on the couch with a smile.

"Well thanks, Alexis. I like being here…. And you need to remember to call me Kate." she replies, smiling back at the younger woman she has been growing closer to.

"So, what's the story with the two of you?" she finally asks, looking between her father and the woman to her right. "Gram and I have been talking about it, and there's something different."

"I umm…" Kate starts, and looks to Castle for guidance.

"We're dating?" Castle supplies, and Alexis raises her eyebrows.

"What?" he asks, confused that she would question this.

"Okay, honestly… I was expecting the two of you to end up getting married behind our backs or something crazy like that with the way you two have been so deeply in love with each other…" she says, noticing the surprise on Kate's face, "even you Detective Beckett… Kate… I know you love him. So you're telling me that you are just dating?"

He had to admit that the teenager was right, and Kate had been right. They were beyond dating. She needed to know everything.

"Kate… is it okay?" he asks, referring to the secret they were hiding.

They had kept everything quiet now until her 14th week, when she woke up in the morning not being able to button her pants. She still wanted to wait a while longer until she was showing to the point of everyone being able to see. Then they would plan the big reveal, which Castle was a little too excited about. However, telling Alexis was different from everyone else, and Kate admits to herself the apprehension she feels about telling her.

"Yeah." She says, nodding her head. "Actually, Castle, I… I want to be honest with her about the whole thing… no story."

He nods, understanding her reluctance to tell Alexis that they've been in a relationship this whole time, when they still don't exactly know what they are to each other. Well… he knows, and he suspects that she knows, but they aren't ready for that yet.

"Okay, now I'm scared. What's going on?" the young redhead asks, standing up in front of the pair feeling Kate's unease at the situation.

"I'm pregnant." Kate says, and watches as Alexis' eyes go wide at the admission, and then continues before the girl can get a word in, "I love your father Alexis, I do… but I wasn't able to admit that to myself or to him… so I was stupid. I knew where we were headed, but I wasn't ready… but I… we… it was one night. You're old enough that we aren't going to lie about that. Now, I don't regret it at all, but we probably shouldn't have approached our relationship in such a way. I found out two months later that I was pregnant and we decided that we would just date each other and see what happened. We didn't want anyone to know because of work, but I'm starting to not be able to fit into my pants anymore, so that might not be so easy. You're the first to know."

Kate drops her gaze to her hands, the normally confident and poised detective showing her vulnerability in front of the younger girl and in front of Castle in a rare moment.

"You love me?" Castle says, and Kate thinks back through what she said to Alexis. It was one thing for her to hear Alexis say it out loud, but she herself had never let the words cross her lips.

"I… oh… I didn't realize that I…" she starts, and he's looking at her with that questioning Castle glance when she lifts her eyes to meet his.

"Kate?"

"I do. I know that I haven't been able to say it, but I do love you Castle. I have for a long time, and I think I'm finally at a place where I can say that and I can be in this the way you want me to be in this." She says, nodding.

He leans in then, stealing a quick kiss from her. The kiss starts to turn into something more than quick when they hear the clearing of a throat in front of them.

"Alexis." Castle says, assuming that the young girl might have an issue with the whole situation.

"Congratulations." She says, bending down to hug her father first.

When she goes to hug Kate, she stops short, "You have always fascinated me as much as dad because you're this strong, independent woman that I look up to… but you've got this other side to you that I know is why dad fell in love with you. You're good for him and bad for him all at the same time Detective Beckett. You're bad for him because I've seen him be in love with you all these years and watched you walk all over him in your own way. I know that you didn't know it at the time, but you've hurt him on several occasions that he won't admit to you. However, the two of you have been so in love with each other this whole time that it was inevitable. I know that you had your reasons for waiting, and I know that you had to battle your demons. I love you too, in some strange way because you make him happy, so please make sure that you keep it that way."

She takes the girl's words in, knowing that she was right about hurting Castle so often, not willing to admit how many times he hurt her in the same ways, "I will, Alexis. I mean that. I love your father and I'm ready to do everything I can to be a family the way I've always wanted it."

Alexis smiles at that, and moves in to complete the hug she had started to give, "I'm so excited to have a baby brother or sister!"

"And I'm excited that you're excited." Castle says, pulling his daughter down onto the couch with them again.

"How far along are you? When is the baby due?" she asks, turning towards Kate with a large smile on her face and curiosity in her eyes.

"I'm at about 14 weeks right now, so the baby is due at the end of September or the beginning of October."

"14 weeks! Kate you can't even tell you're pregnant! Is that normal?"

"Yeah, well tell that to my pants." She says with an eye roll and Castle laughs.

"um… if you want… you don't have to, but if you want we could go shopping for some maternity clothes. You don't have to." Alexis responds shyly, not meeting the woman's eyes after she says it.

"Actually, that is a wonderful idea! That is… it's something that I thought I would get to do with my mom someday, but doing it with you would be just as wonderful." Kate says, smiling at the younger woman, while holding back the emotions of what she confessed. She did wish her mother could be there, but she would still be with family.

"Really?" Alexis questions, knowing what her father had said about how guarded Kate was with certain things, and surprised that she accepted the offer.

"Definitely. We can go this weekend if you're free."

"I'll make sure that I am."

"and I will be ready to provide dinner when you ladies return and provide the credit card for Kate's new wardrobe." He says, happy that the two are getting on so well.

"Castle, no." Kate says.

"Kate, when dad wants to buy you something, you don't say no. He won't back down after he's offered the credit card for something someone needs." Alexis says, looking at the older woman with a pointed look.

When Kate looks to Castle, he's nodding in a way that tells her Alexis is right and she shouldn't argue with the situation.

"besides… he kind of got you in this situation anyways… he totally owes you."

"Alexis!" Castle says, smacking her arm, much to Kate's amusement.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: As I mentioned in the last chapter… I love the Alexis/Beckett dynamic and wish they would explore more of it on the show, so I'm taking my liberties here. Let me know what you think by reviewing… the feedback has been awesome.**

"Hey Kate!" Castle says, opening the door and giving her a light kiss on the lips before letting her in the door.

She immediately grabs his hands and drags him to where his bedroom is.

"Kate, Alexis is upstairs… and we haven't done this… what is- oh." He says, stopping when she lifts up her baggy sweater to reveal the tight cami underneath. "Wow…"

"I know." She says, with a smile on her face, but less excitement in her tone. "This can't be hidden much longer."

"Well, I'm glad that you and Alexis are finally able to go shopping today then."

Their trip was put off for two weeks, with random things coming up at the precinct that couldn't be avoided on the weekends. So, Kate was sixteen weeks pregnant and glad that she could wear camis under all her clothes and that she could fashion a rubber band into a button extender like a pro. She was also thankful that it was the beginning of April and still cool enough in the city to be wearing jackets and light sweaters at work. If anyone noticed anything, they certainly didn't say it, but even Castle said that he didn't notice any sideways glances.

Kate thought that Lanie suspected something was up, but didn't know if she actually knew what the something was. She would make comments and Castle would play along like he was trying to get the same information out of her, but she didn't give anything away.

"Can I?" Castle finally says, reaching his hands out to place them on her stomach after a gentle nod.

They had stuck to their rules of no sleepovers and keeping things out of the serious zone. That meant that touching was at a minimum, so it was the first time that he had actually gotten to really feel the way her stomach had grown. She still claimed that she couldn't feel the baby kicking or anything like that yet, but assured him that when she did, he would be the first to know. Meredith never let him feel Alexis kick when she was pregnant, so Castle was almost as excited about getting to the milestone as she was.

Getting lost in the moment, they leaned in for a few gentle kisses as he kept his hands on her growing stomach.

"Hey dad, I thought I heard… Oh! Sorry!" Alexis says, walking into her father's bedroom because she knew that she heard the door.

All three turned a bit scarlet at the fact that they had been caught in such an intimate embrace.

"No! Don't worry Alexis, I was just showing your dad that the baby is finally making his or her presence known. I'm getting bigger by the day." Kate says, pointing at her stomach and turning to show the younger Castle the small bump that was making its appearance.

"Oh my gosh! This is so exciting! You are still so small though… I was looking online at some stuff for your 16th week, and you are totally one of the lucky ones. There are some women who look like the kid's going to be popping out any minute at this point." she says, and Richard beams with excitement.

Alexis had been talking about the baby nonstop for the past two weeks, which was convenient since Martha was still out of town. That was one person they knew should know, but couldn't exactly figure out a way to tell her. Kate's dad was another that they knew needed to know soon, but both were a bit scared at the thought of explaining themselves. Things had gone surprisingly well with Alexis, and they were just hoping that they would go as well with their parents.

"Okay, we need to get going if we are going to get you set with a new wardrobe, Kate. I already found a few coupons that we can use, and I found out the best places for us to go for the more professional wear that you would need for the precinct."

Kate thought about how her relationship with the younger Castle had grown in the past few weeks. She spent most evenings at their house for dinner during the week and even helped Alexis with homework on occasion, to Rick's absolute delight. She was fitting into everything better than any of them could have possibly expected.

"Alexis, you didn't have to do that, and don't worry about a whole new wardrobe… I just need a few things to get me through the next few months."

"Dad?" Alexis asks, turning to her father with an upturned palm.

"The car should be waiting downstairs. Don't let her lift any heavy bags, and if she even shows an inkling of liking it… sneak it in the bag. I'll have dinner ready by six, but text me if you're going to be earlier or later. Here's the AMEX… no limit." He says, placing the credit card in her hand and kissing Kate on the cheek.

"Castle…"

"Kate, I love you… and I love this baby… so whatever you need will be given to you. Make yourself comfortable these next few months… I've got the money… let me spoil you. Don't overdo it today though… if you feel tired, take a break."

"I've got her dad… I'll make sure we rest. Come on, Kate." Alexis says, linking her arm with Kate's and passing through the living room and out the door.

* * *

"Okay, what about this? You can layer these, so they can go under a bunch of different outfits." Alexis says, holding up a few maternity tank tops for Kate's approval.

"Those actually look like they would be super comfortable. And they would look good under those button ups that I got at the last store." Kate says, taking one from Alexis as she maneuvers her way through the store.

This was their third store, and they had gotten into a groove of sorts already. Kate would find just a few things, Alexis would pick up a few more, and then while Kate was trying things on, Alexis would be on standby to judge and would grab a whole bunch more. When the time came to check out, Alexis would tell Kate that she needed to take a break, forcing her out of the store so Kate couldn't find out the total of what they were purchasing.

She gets into the dressing room, and is seems like it's just a minute later when three pairs of pants and two light sweaters make their way over the top of the fitting room door. "Lex! I already got a pair of black pants!"

Alexis smiled for a few reasons. One was that she loved how much Kate didn't like to be spoiled and loved that she got to be the one to spoil her. The second reason was the shortened name that had slipped out of Kate's mouth somewhere in the middle of the second store. Alexis had smiled then and Kate had corrected herself, and then Alexis told her that she really didn't mind the nickname.

"I know, but you don't have a pair with white pin stripes. They'll go really good with what we've gotten so far and with a few of those other tops I found for you."

"You won't let me know how much we've spent, which I know is a lot… I don't need it." She says from the fitting room, but knowing that Alexis wasn't going to back down… her stubbornness coming from her father.

"Dad says that you do. He wants to spoil you and the baby, so it is fine by me to help it along."

"You have your dad's stubborn streak you know."

"Only when it comes to those we care about." She said truly meaning it.

Kate smiles at that, moving to put on the next outfit, but stopping when she hears a voice join Alexis' outside the dressing room.

"How far along is she?" the other voice asks.

"Four months. She's barely showing... however her pants aren't working anymore."

"Well, that happens. It's nice of you to help your mom out though, most kids your age would be petrified of having a baby brother or sister."

"I think it's awesome… and shopping with her is fun." She says, genuinely meaning it. It was unlike anything else… even shopping with Gram. It felt right to her, and she didn't exactly know what that meant for her.

"I'm sure she's hoping that this next one is as wonderful as you are. You must be a lovely daughter."

"Thank you." Alexis says kindly.

Kate doesn't know whether or not to acknowledge what she heard, but waits a few beats before coming out to show off the new outfit.

"That is awesome… and you could totally wear it on the weekend with jeans." Alexis comments, looking at the pinstriped pants paired with a t-shirt and a loose fit blazer.

"I could." She says, smiling at the younger girl, noting the excitement she still had after hours shopping with her at maternity stores.

"You know, maybe we could be done after this store…" she says, and then cuts Alexis off when she was about to protest, "and we could check out a few of the baby stores in the area. There's a lot that we're going to need and we need to start looking at furniture and all that too."

"That sounds good, and I think that we have found enough to outfit you for a while. However, I'm sure that Grams is going to want to take you shopping when she finds out too."

Kate rolls her eyes and laughs, knowing that this is true.

They walk up to the register and Kate smiles when Alexis tries to get her to leave.

"Lex, it's the last store… no more games about it. I'll let your dad spoil me and the baby as much as he wants."

"You're not putting anything back." She says, pointing at the older woman.

"Deal."

The voice that greets them is the same that Kate heard while she was in the dressing room.

"I see you ladies found quite a bit here. I'm glad."

"We did, thank you." Kate tells the woman as she takes things of the hangers and removes the security tags.

"I was telling your daughter how wonderful she is to be shopping with her mother for something like this."

Kate notices the blush of Alexis' cheeks and realizes all at once that the two share something in common… both of them don't really have a mom in their lives. In that split second she also realizes that they've both wanted that relationship for a long time, so she goes with it.

"She is a wonderful daughter… If her father and I are lucky, this one will be even half as smart, kind, and beautiful." She replies, pulling Alexis to her side for a short hug.

When she pulls back, the blush is still there, but the smile on Alexis' face is something she's never seen before from the young girl. It was the same smile on her father's face… of love and care.

They grab their purchases and make their way out of the store, not choosing to discuss what happened just yet. Instead, they walked over to two baby boutiques and looked over all the furniture and linens that they would have to choose from.

An hour later, they decided to call it a day, Kate glancing at her watch and noticing that they still had an hour before Castle would have dinner ready.

"I'll text dad and tell him that we're going to be early."

"Nope. I've got other plans." Kate says, leaning up to whisper to the driver before sitting back down with a grin on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Here's a ****tid bit more of the Alexis/Kate before a little bit of Caskett... I'm so excited about the response from this story... this is a very fun fandom to write for, so it makes me HAPPY! Review if you would like, and I'll be posting a new chapter in a few days. Enjoy!**

They pull up to a small ice cream parlor just five minutes later and Alexis looks at Kate with a raised eyebrow in question. "Before dinner?"

Kate just nods, telling the driver to come get them in a half hour for the trip home, and pulling Alexis out of the car.

When they're sitting down inside the small building, Kate decides that she's going to be the first to break the ice, "You know why I brought you here?"

"Because you're pregnant and craving ice cream?" Alexis says, laughing, but stopping when Kate shakes her head with a small smile on her face.

"My mom used to bring me here to celebrate… good report cards, her winning a hard case, getting into college… she would always take me right before dinner though. It always made my dad mad, but she and I would still tough through eating whatever he made for us before we told him that we already had dessert when he offered to get us something. It was always just her and me. So I'm celebrating the baby here with you."

"Kate…"

"Read into it what you will Alexis… I just wanted to share this with someone, and I thought that you would be the perfect one to share it with."

"You didn't correct her." Alexis says, and Kate looks up from her previous concentration on the ice cream she was devouring. "the lady at the store told you that you had a wonderful daughter and you didn't correct her."

"You didn't correct her when she told you it was nice of you to help your mom with shopping."

"No I didn't."

The two don't speak for a few minutes, Alexis trying to digest the casual way Kate was treating the whole situation… bringing her here of all places where she went with her mother. She looks up and meets Kate's eyes with a shy look.

"We're really going to do this here?" Alexis says, looking around at the parlor-like surroundings and finally showing some signs of discomfort. Their relationship had always been a good one, but they hadn't gotten into anything in this realm before, and this was big.

"It's actually why I brought you here. I figured that if you're anything like me… you don't talk about it… but you really want to. You can't talk about your mom stuff with your dad, and I get that. I can't talk to my dad about it either. I know that our situations are far from the same, Alexis… I lost my mom entirely when I was nineteen… and I miss her every day… especially now. We don't have to do this, Alexis, I'm just letting you know that if you need someone to talk to about it… I'm here, and I kind of get it."

"Honestly… My dad is amazing. He has done an awesome job with raising me, despite everything that my mother put him through. He… according to grams… he didn't even bat an eyelash when he told my mother in no uncertain terms that he would be the one who got sole custody of me. He still actually pays her because of it… even though she was the one who ended the relationship with cheating… he pays her money monthly so he could have me."

"He is an amazing man."

"She didn't want me… she still doesn't. You've met her… all she cares about is the status of having a daughter, a little shopping buddy that she can cart around and brag about. She's never been there."

"So I gathered."

"That's why I didn't correct her, the woman at the store. I wanted… I don't know… I meant it when I said that I was excited about the baby, and I meant it when I told that woman how much fun it was to be out shopping with you. It was more fun than I ever had with my own flesh and blood mother, so I just wanted it to be true for a little bit. I know that's stupid. I mean Gram has always been there for me too, but…" Alexis trails off, and Kate completely understands what she's saying.

"…It isn't the same… It's not stupid, Alexis. Girls need their moms… or people that can at least be there for them in that kind of capacity. I get it. It's why we are here right now. I miss my mom and this is one place that I have my best memories with her. I remember how much I knew she loved me when she took me here for our celebrations, and if she can't do that with me… then I swore that I would do that with my kids when I had them. I wanted them to be able to have those memories. So here we are."

"But I'm not your—" Alexis starts to protest before Kate cuts her off.

"I know… but it doesn't mean that I don't care about you… that I don't love you like that. Alexis, you are one of the reasons I fell in love with your father. I don't even think that he knows that, but the way he would light up when he talked about you, or the way that I knew how protective of you he was… it made me love him a little bit more every time I learned more about your relationship. You're a good kid, Alexis… and I do love you. Don't think for a second that I didn't have you included in a relationship with your dad."

Alexis takes all this in for a moment, not knowing how to reply to Kate's declaration of sorts. She admits to herself that she had an up and down opinion of Kate Beckett until recently. She admires the professional that she is, but was always hesitant when she did something that hurt her father, even if she hadn't realized what she had done. Now though, hearing her speak, seeing the sincerity in her eyes, she knows that this woman is absolutely perfect for her father… for them.

"I love you too, Kate… and I hope that someday you actually do become a full fledged member of the family… Castle surname and all."

Kate smiles back at her, "Alexis that's a ways down the road."

"If he knew you'd say yes… he would ask you tomorrow."

"Really? And how do you know?" she asks, with a raised eyebrow.

"He asked me."

"What do you mean he asked you?"

"The night you guys told me about the baby… two weeks ago? He asked me if he could ask you to marry him. He wanted to make sure that I would be okay with it if he did… told me that he would wait for me as long as it took just like he'd wait for you."

"He did?"

Alexis nods, "He loves you, Kate. He'd wait forever if that's what you wanted… or he'd propose tomorrow."

"Oh... and what did you say?"

"I was too young to remember what went down with my mother, but I know enough now about it to understand their relationship. Gina was another story and I was older when he married her… this is different, Kate. You're different. You challenge him, you don't let him get away with the things he wants to get away with… from the minute you started to work together, he started to change a little bit at a time… in a good way. I've never seen him in love before you… so I told him to go for it. And honestly, I hope it's sooner rather than later, but I get why you want to wait."

"You do?"

"Kate… I'm not naïve to know what people are going to say when they find out that you're getting married right when they find out that you're pregnant. Honestly… I would tell them you're already married and that was a surprise too…. Actually… that would totally work! It would so go with dad's plan for the guys and for Lanie, and… I shouldn't be saying this because you aren't ready to marry him." Alexis starts trailing off.

They finish their ice cream in companionable silence, and are waiting for the car to come pick them up when Alexis asks, "What do we tell dad about the ice cream?"

"We don't… until he asks us if we want dessert and then we just let him know. That's what me and my mom would always do." Kate says, shrugging her shoulder.

* * *

"You ladies want dessert?"

"Actually, we already had it." Kate says, and Alexis nods.

"We did, sorry dad."

"What?" he says, his face falling because he wasn't included in the trip.

"We grabbed some ice cream before we came home."

"Well, why didn't you tell me, I could have waited with dinner?"

"Castle, it's fine. Dinner was wonderful."

"Are you going to tell me where you went?" he asks, and Kate shakes her head.

"That's for me and Momma Kate to know, and you to never find out." Alexis says with a laugh that has Kate laughing too.

Castle looks between the two of them, so glad that they are getting along so well, and so curious as to what the two had talked about during their day together. "Did you just call her Momma Kate?"

Alexis shrugs her shoulders and wraps an arm around Kate then, "I did… it suits her…. And now I'm going to get some work done and it's late."

"It is late. I should probably get going." Kate says, standing up and moving towards where her coat was draped across the couch.

"You can stay, you know." He says, watching her move through the loft towards the door.

"It's fine, Castle… I'll be okay to drive home."

It's then that Alexis peeks her head back down the stairs, "Dad's right, Kate, you should stay. In fact, I know that you have plenty to wear for tomorrow and the days after, so you can stay as long as you would like."

"Lex…" Kate says, basically asking her a question with her eyes.

"You heard me before, I love you… stay." She says, smiling before turning to go back up the stairs again.

Then Kate turns back to Castle and kisses him on the cheek, "I'll stay."

"Really?"

"Really. At least for tonight."

"You want to show me all the stuff that you bought today?"

"Honestly… we can do that in the morning. I'm not on call tomorrow, so we can spend the day, because it will probably take that long, showing you what we got. I'm exhausted."

"It's been a long day for you and the little bean."

"It has… so I'm going to grab one of my new pairs of pj pants and the I'm ready to sleep."

"Kate?" he says to her retreating form and she turns back towards him, "I'm glad that you're staying."

"I am too."

"Kate?" he again says, interrupting her trip one more time. "You and Alexis… how did that go today?"

She just smiles in response, which lets him know all that he needs to know.


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: All right, here we go with this update. I hope you all enjoy it! Review if you would like!**

When she finds them the next morning, her heart skips a beat… His arm was around her and both of their hands resting on the noticeable baby bump. It was perfect in every way she can imagine.

Kate wakes up to the smell of coffee, which has her stomach grumbling in an instant. She can't have the real stuff, but she assumes that Castle has some decaf somewhere in his apartment. She's sure that Alexis would help her find it, too.

She grabs Castle's robe from the bathroom to fight off the morning chill in the apartment and makes her way over to the kitchen, where she assumes Alexis will be drinking coffee and reading like Castle says she does with him in the mornings. She takes just a moment to realize how this morning routine seemed so natural to her in his place.

"Lex, do you know where your dad keeps the decaf?" she asks to person standing in the open refrigerator door, who apparently was not Alexis.

"Don't worry, dear, I already started a decaf pot for you." Martha says, shutting the door and turning with a smile to Kate and pointing toward a small coffee pot. "The rest of us will want the real stuff…"

Kate's eyes widen and she moves to secure the robe around her a little bit tighter, attempting to hide the bump she was sporting, even though the implication with Martha's words were that she knew all things.

"You leave for a few weeks and it seems like everything changes, you and Richard finally come to your senses, and I assume that's my grandchild you're trying to hide under that robe?" she says, throwing her hand up in the air.

"Martha, we were going to wait until you got back to tell you… this… I… umm…" Kate stutters, not sure how to navigate this without Castle beside her.

"Katherine, come here and sit down." Martha says, pulling out a stool for Kate to sit on.

What she does next is so unlike the Martha Rodgers she is used to that she doesn't exactly know how to react, except to let a few tears slide unknown from her cheeks.

"Katherine Beckett, my son loves you. I know that you two started off in the most odd way possible, but you are good for each other… very good actually. I've seen my son through two marriages and raising his daughter basically by himself… and I've never seen him so happy than when he's been a part of your life. As for how this happened… I don't care, because I'm so excited that the two of you came to your senses after all these years, and I'm very excited to have another grandchild…. Now… Richard has told me as much about you as he could, and I understand that you aren't one to give your heart so willingly… I also understand that becoming a mom is a hard thing to do without your own mother around…so… if you need someone to talk to about morning sickness and breastfeeding, then you let me know because I will be there for you Katherine, as much as you'll let me. You're family now, kiddo." Martha says and pulls Kate into a hug, then pulling back to wipe the tears from the younger woman's face.

"Thank you, Martha."

"Now… enough of all this serious talk… I'm going to get you some decaf and then I'm going to tell you all about the men I met on this tour… oh boy were they feisty!" she says, shaking her hips a bit as she says it, making Kate laugh that Martha can turn it on and off so fast.

* * *

He wakes up to an empty spot next to him and laughing in the kitchen… specifically three familiar laughs, which has him panicking a little bit.

"I swear, he always did it his own way… the diaper deal was something I couldn't even make up myself." Martha says, which has the girls in absolute stitches.

"Mother, please tell me that you didn't tell the mother of my second child and my very impressionable daughter the diaper helmet story?" Castle says, appearing from the bedroom with rumpled clothes and hair sticking up in numerous directions.

"Oh, you mean the one where you walked around the house all day with a diaper around your head claiming that you were a superhero, Castle… no she didn't say anything about that." Kate says, walking up to him to give him a good morning kiss on his cheek.

"Great… do you still like me?" he asks, head dropping in a playful manner.

"Actually, I love you… she was just warning me that some of your offspring might give me a run for my money."

"Oh! So…" he says, realizing that this must mean that Martha is fully aware of what is going on.

"Darling, congratulations! I'm very excited for you and Katherine and I don't want to wait much longer for wedding bells after I get the baby booties." She says, wagging a finger in both of their directions.

"Gram!" Alexis exclaims, watching for Kate's reaction at the same time.

"Just stating the facts, kids… now… it has been lovely chatting with all of you, but I don't think that I actually slept a single night all the way through while I was away, so I'm going to hit the hay for a little nap… which means I'll see you on Tuesday." She says with a laugh, walking out of the kitchen with her arm raised in the Martha dramatic fashion.

"How did the PJ pants work last night, Kate?" Alexis asks, genuinely curious about how the purchases they made were going to work out.

"They were perfect… Not too tight or confining… which is how all the others are right now."

"Good…. Are you going to show dad the rest of the stuff we got?"

"I was going to later, yeah."

"You'll like everything, dad! I'm actually going to meet some friends for coffee though, so I'll see you guys later."

"Be safe." Castle says, watching his daughter walk out of the loft with a careful eye.

When he turns back to Kate, he notes the expression on her face that he had never seen before. It was a mixture of sadness and longing that he wasn't expecting from the mornings antics.

"Kate, you okay?"

She nods her head quickly in response, "more than, actually."

"Doesn't look like it."

"Castle, come talk to me?" she says, pulling him in the direction of the bedroom where they could talk in privacy.

"What's up?"

"I'm in." she says, grasping his hands in hers.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I want all of it…. With you… I want it all."

"Kate, I don't want to pres—"

"Castle, no… you aren't…" she says, smiling almost to herself as she flashes to the moments she's had in the past few weeks. "Castle, I've loved you for a while… I may not have been able to admit it, but I have. When I told you about this baby, I don't think that I could have asked for a better reaction from you. Then when we told Alexis and she and I went shopping… Castle, she needs someone for her… and I know that I can't replace her mother, but she and I just… we get each other and I want her to be like a daughter to me. And your mom… this morning, your mother told me welcome to the family and made sure that I knew that even though my own mother wasn't here, she would be there for me through all of the questions. Castle, I want that… this… with you. It's the most unconventional of families, but it is a perfect fit."

He doesn't respond after she finishes what she said, but instead stands up quickly, walking out of the room and leaving a very shocked Kate in his wake. When he returns, he's carrying a small box in his hand.

"Kate, marry me?" he says, opening the box to reveal an engagement ring.

"So Alexis was right… you were ready."

"I got it the day after you were shot… when I knew you were going to be okay."

"When I was with Josh?"

"I knew… I knew that…"

"I was in a relationship that I shouldn't have been in… you can say it Castle, because you were right that day you came to my apartment to get me to step away. You were right."

"And now?" he asks, still kneeling next to her by the bed.

"I will marry you on one condition."

"Anything."

"Soon… like really really soon." She says, watching his eyes expand.

"What? I mean… okay, but why?"

"Alexis actually gave me the idea when we were having our ice cream… she said that it would be perfect for our little plan. We could get married, we don't have to be totally honest about the timeline, just say that we've been together for a while, and we got married and got pregnant. No one has to know anything beyond that."

"So you are seriously going to walk in the precinct one day and announce that we're married and expecting a baby?"

"I thought that was the plan anyways for the baby?" she asks, with a quirk of her brow.

"Well, yeah, but this could put everyone over the edge." He says, smiling back at her.

"Come on, Castle, won't it be fun?" she says, and he pulls her in for a kiss, then puts the ring on her finger, noting the perfect fit.

"We need to tell your dad."

"I'll call him today." She says, trying to calm the nerves at the thought.

"Maybe we could meet him for lunch or dinner later, and look into what we need to do for a marriage license in the very near future?"

"I like that idea… dinner. You know what I want even more than that right now though?" she says, with a sly smile on her face.

"What?"

"…to take a nap. Yesterday took more out of me than I would like to admit and Martha woke me up with her coffee this morning, and I kind of just want to take a nap."

"Then you take a nap. In fact, I'll cuddle up with you for a little while and when you fall asleep, I'll get some writing done."

She smiles and pulls him onto the bed, maneuvering them so that he is spooning behind her, with his hand on her stomach.

"Why did I wait?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did I wait so long for something that feels so right to me? I was so scared and I was so oblivious… I just think of all the wasted time." She says, moving to interlace her fingers with his where they lay on her stomach.

"Kate, I think that maybe this was just the time. If we would have gotten together before this, maybe it wouldn't have been what it is now… everything was just working its way out for us… no regrets."

"I have one."

He moves to look down at her, noticing that her skin has taken on a reddish tinge.

"Only one night of amazing sex…"

"You know we can remedy that, Kate." He says with a kiss to her shoulder.

"We will… but for now we nap."

He shakes his head, knowing that she was going to be like this all the time. The teasing banter that they shared at a crime scene or in front of the murder board… it was going to be them for the rest of their lives.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: Okay, so here is another short update, because I feel bad for one reviewer! They pointed out to me that my little line breaks weren't showing up on the page, which made me realize that it would be so confusing at some points! So I've fixed all the line breaks in the fic for your reading pleasure (it's all sectioned out the way I intended now!). Enjoy this small update, and thank you to those who review to help me fix things! Keep reviewing if you would like!**

It's an hour later when Castle is trying to wake her up and she hears the faint buzzing sound of a phone ringing.

"Kate, you're dad's calling. You might as well answer it so you can invite him for dinner."

She nods, reaching for the phone and picking up.

"Hey dad! I was actually going to call you in a little bit!" she says, trying to muster some enthusiasm into her voice.

"Hey Katie."

"I was wondering if you were free for dinner tonight." She says nervously, trying to keep it together, but failing.

"I am, but I had been hoping for breakfast this morning… I stopped by because I thought you had the day off…where were you?" he asks on the other end and her eyes widen a bit.

"Oh, um… I was out this morning."

"I see…" he says, not convincing her that he is going to drop his line of questioning.

"You okay, dad?"

"I'm just working through some surprising news that I found out yesterday…" he says, pausing for a moment, "You see there's this ice cream parlor that your mom and I used to go to and I was in the mood. Funny thing though… I saw someone there that looked just like you… but then I thought that it couldn't be you…"

"Dad…" she says, knowing what her father meant with the statement. She had been keeping things hidden, but her father knew her best… he would notice something different.

"I'm not upset, Katie, I'm just curious and confused… where do you want to meet?"

"How about I give you an address and you just come meet me here?" she asks.

"And where is here?"

"At Castle's apartment."

"Huh…" he says, and she can hear the smile in his voice through the phone, "Text me the address and I'll be there in a bit."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Jim Beckett knocks on the door to the Castle loft, and is greeted by none other than Castle himself.

"Mr. Beckett. It's good to see you again." Castle says, gesturing for the man to come in while trying to hide his nerves.

"Same, Mr. Castle. Where's Katie?" he replies, looking the man up and down and internally cheering at the fact that Richard Castle was so scared of him. If only Johanna would be here to see this day… meeting the man he assumes has stolen his daughter's heart completely and if he was admitting it… the man that stole his wife away from him a few nights when she was reading his books.

"I uh… think that she's still getting ready. Kate was just taking a nap when you called earlier. My mother woke her up rather early with her coffee making and general loud presence." Castle says, trying to make a joke with the older man.

"I see."

"Come in, sit down." Castle suggests, so nervous that he hopes Jim doesn't notice the shake in his voice.

At that same time, Kate was in the bathroom getting ready for the day. She chose some maternity jeans and a loose fitting shirt that still showed a bit of her small bump. As she turned to the side to survey her appearance, she felt a nervousness bubble up inside her. This was happening. They were getting married, they were having a baby… it was all happening so fast that she didn't have a moment to really think about everything. It wasn't a bad feeling, just strange, this new normal that she was about to experience.

She takes another moment to smooth the shirt over her bump and lets a small smile grace her features before walking out to greet her father.

"Dad!" Kate says, making her way into the living room before the boys could have the chance to sit down.

He hugs her tightly and then has a hard time keeping his eyes up on her face, choosing to glance down at her stomach that he noticed in passing yesterday.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Katie. Just like your mom when she was pregnant with you." He says before sitting down across from the pair.

Moisture gathers in the corners of her eyes before she starts, "Alexis found out a few weeks ago and Martha found out this morning… you were next on the list dad. We were waiting to tell everyone."

"Is everything okay?" he asks, making sure her hesitance wasn't because of something wrong.

"Everything's fine, dad. The baby is perfect, 16 weeks along."

He laughs at that, "You are like your mother then… most of her friends hated her because it wasn't until about six months that you could really tell she was pregnant. I assume this was a surprise, unless you've been lying to me about you and Mr. Castle here. I've known for years that the two of you cared for one another, but didn't think either of you had the guts to go for it yet."

Castle decides to take the heat for this one, putting his hand over Kate's, "Mr. Beckett, this was the absolute best surprise that we could have gotten. I admit that Kate and I may have jumped the gun with some things, but I love your daughter and I have all intentions of keeping her in my life forever if she'll have me."

He looks between the pair, thinking about the conversations he had with his daughter that focused all on Richard Castle. Despite his daughter's complaints about him shadowing her, he could hear the happiness in her tone. He still remembers coming to this very apartment to ask Castle to help her step away from her mother's murder. He knew that this man would do absolutely anything to make sure his daughter was happy, and he also knew that his daughter didn't giver her heart so easily.

"Apparently she will… the ring tells me you're her one and done." He says, gesturing towards Kate's hidden hand.

"You're too observant." She says, narrowing her eyes at her father, "and too calm right now… at least for you."

"Katie, I know you… You are a fiercely independent and wonderful woman who likes to keep to herself for the most part. But you crave that connection with people that goes deeper, and you run from it… until Rick. Yes, you were still running, but you were letting him chip at that wall you keep around yourself since your mom died, and I knew that. I knew that Rick Castle was more than the annoying shadow you claimed him to be years ago. And when I came to him before Roy Montgomery died, to get him to help you stop all this with your mom… I knew it then that this man would walk worlds for you. He loves you. Am I surprised at the timing… maybe. Am I surprised that the two of you finally figured out what was right in front of you this whole time… no."

"Thank you, dad." She says, letting out a sigh and smiling at him before turning to share a smile with Castle.

"So tell me more about my grandchild. Have you been to the doctor yet? Do you know what it is?"

Kate stands with a smile, walking over to the fridge, where Castle decided to display the baby after Martha found out this morning.

"That was at 10 weeks, when I found out. We have another ultrasound in a few weeks, and we don't know the sex yet." She says, handing the picture over to her father and watching the smile creep onto his face. He was actually happy about this.

"Are you going to find out?"

"Did you and mom find out?" she asks, knowing that is what she would do.

"Nope… your mother said that not finding out was one of the only true surprises left in the world."

"Then we won't find out." Castle says, and Kate turns to him with the largest smile she can plaster on her face.

"So when are you two planning on getting married?"

"Honestly… I want to do it as soon as possible." Kate says, watching her father raise his eyebrows, "I know… I just… we haven't been… There haven't… since that night, we've been staying apart… taking things slow. Then last night, Alexis told me to stay and I stayed. Then I woke up to Martha, who was so excited about the baby, and then Alexis came down and Rick woke up, and it reminded me so much of Saturday mornings at our house dad. Crowded in the kitchen in our pajamas and telling stories while munching on breakfast. I didn't realize how much I really wanted it and could have that until then. Rick is my one and done, so I just… I want to start my always."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: So I am a big proponent of NOT writing out the wedding scenes of shows that haven't done it yet… only because I don't ever think that I can get the characters like the actual writers would. Hate me if you would like, but I don't want to write a scene that seems fake in my head.**

**Anyways, more is about to come with the storyline entering in at the end. Yes, it's a little angsty, but I wanted some of that for this too. When have Kate and Castle EVER had perfect happiness? Oh that's right… NEVER. Just trust me and enjoy. And if you're like my roommate and hate this character's story line… well I'm sorry, but I love it. Review if you would like!**

"Katherine Castle… I like it." Rick says hugging her from behind when he catches her staring at the two rings on her finger that evening while she's getting ready for bed. He talked to Jim and was able to get a jeweler to use Johanna's wedding band to create something for Kate that had new intertwined with the old.

They got married about a week after having that discussion with her father, a simple ceremony with only their family. Kate wore an ivory gown that Martha and Alexis helped pick out, and Castle wore what he thought was his best suit with Kate's favorite blue shirt of his underneath. She was completely distracted by the way things were falling into place, always talking with Castle about how the unconventional pair wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I can't believe that you did that with the ring… Castle, I don't know how I even remotely deserve you. It means the world to me."

"You'll always have her with you, Kate… you always told me how in love your parents were, it seemed right."

"It meant a lot to my dad too… that you asked him about it… that you involved him."

"Always… so Mrs. Castle… are you too tired to have our own celebration?" he says, placing small kisses up her neck.

"Speaking of which… I want to have a party…. Not a Richard Castle sized party, but a celebration with our friends to celebrate the wedding."

"Like a reception?" he asks.

"Just something for everyone to celebrate with us. Everyone at the 12th will be so upset that they didn't get to see it, you know?" she adds, thinking about her work family completely in the dark about the relationship between them.

"They're going to be excited." He says, trying to reassure her.

"You know that I'm still going by Beckett at work, that's okay, right?" she says at an almost whisper, not wanting to ruin the perfect moment they were sharing.

He pulls away and meets her hesitant eyes in the mirror, "I completely understand that, Kate! You have a reputation, and I want you to be able to carry that with you… everyone knows about Detective Beckett, the youngest to make detective, the highest solve rate, the hottest, and the most bad ass in the NYPD."

"You really think all those things, don't you?" she says with a smile.

"I do. That's why I fell in love with you."

"So… when are we going to tell everyone?" she asks, turning in his arms and placing a short kiss on his mouth.

"You want soon?" he asks not knowing where she stood considering the comment she just made about their friends being upset about not seeing the wedding.

"I don't think that I'm going to be able to hide this much longer." She says, caressing her stomach in a calming gesture.

"Tomorrow? We can order in lunch and figure out a way to reveal the information."

"I could have to change for some reason or maybe I could wear a sweater and get hot… and I'll change into one of the maternity tops that we got… one that makes it obvious." Kate says, with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Okay, and then you just come back in? You know that neither of the guys are going to say anything to you, right? Men are too scared to hint at a woman being pregnant."

"So we make sure that Lanie is invited up for lunch too. You know that she can't keep her mouth shut about gossip. Besides, I think that she knows that something is up."

"Sounds perfect."

* * *

The next morning, she's ready to go, ready for their plan to work.

"I'm going to run and grab us our normal coffee, and you'll meet me there?" Castle asks with a smile.

"Yup… and we'll mention something to the guys about lunch a little bit later and send you out for it?"

"Sounds perfect… I'll see you there. You take care of baby on the way to work." He says, leaning in to kiss her and rubbing a gentle hand over her stomach.

"I love you, Mr. Castle."

"and I love you Mrs. Castle."

She smiles at his retreating form, so excited about finally letting everyone in on the whole thing. After the years of working together, she's sure that everyone is going to be happy about it. In fact she knows that all three of them are going to say that it was inevitable anyways… but she'd be lying if a part of her wasn't the slightest bit worried about how they were going to take the news of them being married and having a kid together.

She finishes getting ready, and decides that it is actually the perfect day to walk over to work. The air is starting to get a bit warmer now that April hit, and the precinct was only a few blocks from the loft. It was still a bit chilly, especially in the mornings, but it felt good.

When she arrives, she's surprised that Castle isn't there yet, but chalks it up to his need to stop everywhere on his way to getting somewhere.

"Castle not here yet?" she asks Ryan and Esposito.

"Nope, and you should call him and tell him to meet us at the crime scene. We just got a call about a body drop. Whoever tipped us off asked for you." Espo says, causing Kate to flinch a bit. It has never been good when she has been specifically asked for.

"Why?"

"Don't know. It got called in, and they found us since you weren't here yet." Espo shrugs his shoulders.

"Let's go then… I'll drive." She says, grabbing her bag and the keys to her rig, making a move to call Castle from the elevator.

She gets his voicemail after a few rings, "Hey Castle, it's Beckett. We um… we hS a body drop, so we're headed over to the scene. I'll text you the address. I'll, uh… see you when you get there."

"You sure he was on the way in?" Espo asks, noting the slight concern on her face when she called the number and got no answer.

"He… uh… he texted me this morning to let me know he was on the way… wanted to know what was on the docket for the day." She lies easily, knowing that the guys would believe her because Castle had always done just that.

* * *

When they arrive, she can already see the tension coming off Lanie in waves. Whatever this was, wasn't something that was going to be easy. However, what she sees is something she isn't prepared for in the least, because when Lanie pulls back the tarp to reveal their victim she recognizes something. The young blonde looks peaceful, almost like she's sleeping. She's seen this before.

"What happened?" she asks, knowing from the marks what happened, but needing it verbalized.

"Strangled… that's my guess for the cause of death."

"We've seen this…"

"I know we have, but it… it doesn't match his MO, Kate. There's more to it." Lanie says, reaching for the tarp to further expose the girl's body. "She was pregnant… my guess is anywhere between 3-5 months along. There's a gash down the middle of her abdomen." Kate's gasp doesn't go unnoticed by everyone at the scene, and Ryan grows more concerned when he sees her eyes go wide as a realization hits her that no one understands.

"No… no no no!" she says, turning away and not being able to look any longer.

Espo and Ryan call out to her, but she's pulling out her phone the instant she moves away, looking for the familiar contact, and praying that the story she has written in her head right now is wrong.

"Come on Castle, pick up your phone… pick up…" she says, and Espo walks over to her, concern on his face.

"Hello?" an unfamiliar voice answers the phone on the other end.

"Hello? Who is this?" she asks with more bite than necessary.

"Oh, my name is Jenny and I work at Java Hut. Is this Mrs. Castle?"

"This is…" she says hesitantly.

"Oh good! That means that you found what he left for you. He said that you would call after you found whatever it was. Now you have to come down to the store to get your coffee and your next clue!" the girl says, sounding excited.

"I'm sorry… can you… I'm going to send you a picture… can you tell me if this was the man who talked to you today?" she says, and by now, Esposito is fully listening to the conversation, knowing that something is up.

"Um… sure?" the girl says, a bit confused on the other end.

She thumbs through pictures and sends over a plain one of Rick smiling at the loft from a month ago.

"I got it, but no, that isn't him. This guy was tall, darker hair… it was shorter, and he was a bit younger."

"I um… I… oh God… Castle… " she starts to say, but her breath is going away from her, so she shoves the phone at Espo as the eyes roll in the back of her head.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: Okay, so I've taken some beatings because of this switch in the story line… so I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for those who are dropping out of reading the fic because of the turn. I promise that the Casketty goodness will come back in full force. They didn't get together during the first season on the show… did they? Nope… so nothing ever comes terribly easy for the pair… but don't worry… I love them just as much as the rest of you do! Review if you would like, and I hope you keep reading!**

"Miss Beckett?" He tries, and she moans in response until he calls out to her again.

"I need you to look up at me Miss Beckett." The voice says, and she suddenly snaps her eyes in his direction.

"Oh God! Where am I? What's going on?"

"It's okay, you're on your way to the hospital. You passed out at a crime scene and the others called an ambulance. I need you to tell me a few things." He says, and she nods her head before quickly moving her left hand down to her stomach, "How far along are you?"

"I'm 17 weeks."

"Okay, and are you feeling any kind of cramping right now? Any pain?"

"No… oh God, did I fall? Is the baby okay? Where's my husband?" she says, tears starting to fall down her face at the thought of something being wrong with the baby. Castle gone and the baby… please don't let anything be wrong with the baby. She can feel the panic setting in.

"Kate, honey… Ryan caught you right before you went down, you didn't fall."

Her eyes suddenly sought out the familiar voice, knowing that it was all in the open now.

"Where's Rick?" she asks desperately.

"We don't know honey. Javi took the phone from you and the boys are on their way to find out what happened at the Java Hut this morning." Lanie says, covering Kate's hand where it rested on her stomach. "Let them take care of it so we can get you and this baby checked out."

Kate notices Lanie's glance toward her stomach and she instantly hates that everything got pulled from under them… their plans for the day. "We were going to tell you guys today… we were going to tell you everything. He left this morning… he was so excited about telling you guys… he oh God… Lanie it's Tyson, the strangulation. I know that this is off for him… but it's for us… it's for me and Castle. I know it's him." She says, trying to sit up, before Lanie tries to get her to lay back down.

"I already have them looking into that, Kate. Now you need to calm down. Castle's going to kill you if he finds out that you were making that baby upset in there… you know that."

"Lanie…" Kate says, so broken, with tears now streaming down her face.

"We're going to find him. We've got to make sure you and the baby are okay, and then we are going to find him Kate. You aren't going to lose him… I've waited too long to see the two of you fools together to not get my payday…"

"Will you call Martha and Alexis?"

"You want them to come down to the hospital?" she asks.

"I don't know what I want, but will you at least tell them what's happening?"

Lanie nods and it's then that they pull up to the hospital's emergency room. Kate gets taken back immediately and Lanie is on the phone to get Castle's emergency information from Gates.

* * *

"I need to get out of here! You don't understand!" Kate screams at the doctor nearly an hour later.

"Mrs. Castle, I understand that you're upset, but we are worried about your blood pressure and what it could do to the baby. You need to calm down." The doctor says, trying to get through to her. They had done the ultrasound and determined that everything was okay with the baby. The baby would be just fine, but mom needed to calm down.

"Kate, he's right… you need." Lanie starts, and is cut off by Kate.

"No! YOU need to get out of here and go do your job, Lanie! I need you to go do your job. I'm fine… I'm leaving anyways!" she says, starting to get up.

"Katherine?" Martha says, walking into the room and immediately going to the side of the woman who just recently became her daughter-in-law, grabbing onto her while laying her back down on the bed.

"I'm… I'm going to go." Lanie says, upset, but understanding that the outburst was not directed at her but the situation.

"Katherine…" Martha says, whispering in her ear as Kate lets out a sob that doesn't seem to stop and grabs on to the older woman for an anchor. She wasn't used to this feeling… this helpless feeling. For the past few years, Castle has been there for her more than she realized and now he wasn't there… he couldn't be.

It was in that moment that she remembered how she got through it… she pushed it all away, she didn't let anyone get too close. That was how she had to do this. She takes a deep breath, letting the tears stop and letting her emotions get back in check.

"I'm okay… and the baby's okay… for now… they're worried about my blood pressure." She finally says, trying to scoot herself out of Martha's embrace.

"Well that doesn't surprise me… you're shaking like a leaf, Katherine… you need to calm down."

"Where's Alexis?" Kate asks, realizing that she really didn't want the girl seeing her like this.

"She wanted to make sure that nobody tried to contact the house about Richard, so she sent me here to watch out for you." She says, sitting down next to Kate on the bed, and taking her hand.

"I know who it is… and they aren't letting me go yet. I need to get him… and if I find him, I find Castle…"

"We're worried about her blood pressure. Right now it's elevated, and it isn't good for the baby or her to remain in this state." The doctor says, and Martha turns to the man not having really realized that he was still in the room.

"Doctor, I'm sure that you've been clued into what is going on here… and I'm going to tell you that her blood pressure won't be coming down anytime soon if she is stuck in this hospital waiting on a word about her husband and not working the case herself."

"May I ask who you are?"

"I'm her mother, and you and I are going to have a conversation outside for a moment." She says, winking at Kate and walking outside the room with the younger man.

Kate fights a battle within herself in that moment, knowing that her child should come first, but also letting herself fall back into that obsessive desire to find justice for those she cares about. This… Castle being gone was just as bad as her mother being murdered all those years ago. She knew that she was going to fall in and not come out unless she found him.

It's when she looks over to see the fetal heart rate monitor that she is shaken a bit more. The baby was fine… he or she depended on her and she never had that before… no one ever depended on her every action like this child did. It was overwhelming and crushing all at the same time.

"I'm sorry…" she says, caressing her stomach in slow circles, "I just don't know how to do this without him… your father. So I need you to help me stay afloat with all this… remind me that you're there every now and then… help me find him and not lose myself. Castle wouldn't want that."

At the same time, Martha takes charge of the situation outside the room. "Now… what do we need to do to get her out of here? I'll make you a deal, because I know how these things work. We will sign whatever paper you need and I promise you that I will have someone around her 24/7 to monitor her and take her blood pressure. I am as concerned about my grandbaby as you are, but I know that sitting in this hospital isn't going to make Katherine feel any better."

"Ma'am, I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable letting her go right now."

"Then get her regular doctor down here right now…"

* * *

"Martha, you shouldn't have done all this." Kate says, riding in the back of the car on the way back to the precinct, her mind going in fifty million directions, and her hands holding onto her stomach as if sheer will would make everything okay.

"Kiddo, I… Part of me wanted you to stay there, because I don't want you to do anything that's going to harm you or that baby, but I know you… everything Richard has told me tells me that you would have found another way out of that hospital, so at least we are doing something about it…The on-call doctor will meet us at the precinct and stay there until we tell him to leave. He's going to check your blood pressure and make sure it doesn't go over what your regular doctor says. If it does, then you are back in the hospital, no questions asked. My only condition is this… you don't leave."

"Martha." Kate says, knowing the concern, but also thinking that she couldn't really investigate any scene sitting in the bullpen.

"No, I know this monster has my son, but he is not going to get you and he's not going to get my grandchild. You stay where everyone can keep an eye on you, and you do this investigation from there. You know that is how this has to be. You know that is what Richard would have told you."

"Yeah, well I always told him to stay in the car and he never listened." She says with a smirk on her face.

"Katherine, this is different…" Martha says, not letting her get out of the seriousness of the situation.

She thinks about this for a minute, knowing that everything Martha said was right. From the minute the doctor told her that she was having blood pressure issues she was in a fight with herself. The baby was her first priority now, but Castle was out there somewhere with a murderer, who was clearly sending a message to the two of them. She knows that she should be at the hospital, but she also knows that it would have killed her to stay there.

"I will stay at the precinct." She finally says.

"Good… I'm going to call Alexis and see if she will come with me and help bring you over something else to wear, something more comfortable perhaps, and we can grab some food for you as well, because you need to eat something to keep up your strength. Mr. Ryan already called to tell me that someone was sent over to the loft to keep an eye on it and Alexis."

"You don't have to do that."

"With Richard not here at the moment, darling… no one else can dote on you. Would you like me to call your father?"

"No! …I mean…I don't want him to worry and he'll come over right when he finds out, so don't."

"If I feel the need, Katherine, I will call him."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: All right, I'm almost done with this one for you guys… I finished it on my end, so I'll try to post a new chapter each day. We are getting pounded with another arctic storm here, which totally sucks, but I guess that means that I'm stuck in my apartment again! I'll have to think of some new fics. Or… review with an idea for a fic or an idea for the sequel of this story! That could be fun, or just let me know if you're enjoying it!**

Ten minutes later, when she walks into the precinct, it's Gates who approaches her first.

"No! Detective Beckett, what the hell do you think you are doing here? You are supposed to be at the hospital right now, and then all of a sudden there is a doctor here that says he's supposed to be monitoring you today. You are not staying here."

"Sir, I can't do this… I can't sit at home when Tyson is sending the messages to me specifically. I know that this is against better judgment, but I'm going to be careful, and I'm on strict orders to not leave the precinct. I want to help." She says, as calmly as possible to not show what she is actually feeling inside.

"So help me Kate, if anything happens to you or that baby…" Gates says, forcefully pointing in the direction of the younger woman's stomach.

"It won't sir, I'll be fine."

Gates gives a small nod to Kate before turning to Espo and Ryan and giving them permission to approach her.

"You watch her… the two of you know her best. If you think that anything is wrong… she's out."

They nod looking between her and Kate with the most solemn of expressions. She had to be here… they knew that… but thinking about what's at stake now, they can't help but worry.

"Beckett, we know that you want to be here, but are you sure this is a good idea?" Ryan asks, looking down at her stomach.

"I… I have to be here." She says, looking between the two of them, feeling her eyes start to water.

They know her well enough to know that she wouldn't want to break in front of them. "So we went down to the Java Hut and got Castle's phone back. Nothing out of the ordinary is on there, but the girl did have a coffee ready for you and a cake pop on the side." Espo says, trying to get back to the normal routine.

She gives them both a grateful look, "Give me specifics on both."

"The cup said 'to Katherine Castle from your secret admirer' and it was a decaf blondie. The cake pop was their wedding cake vanilla pop." Ryan supplies as Kate takes a seat near the murder board that the guys set up.

"Okay, the coffee was telling me that he knew I was pregnant and the blondie was a hint at our victim. The Katherine Castle and the wedding cake pop was telling me that he knew that Castle and I got married."

"Wait, you what?" Ryan says, looking between Kate and a shocked Esposito.

"Come on guys, you didn't see it coming?" she says, allowing the first smile in hours to grace her lips.

"Oh we did, chica… we just thought we would get a little warning."

"Yeah, well, we were going to tell you guys today. We only got married yesterday… which… how did he know?" the realization hits her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean how did he know that we got married? It was just us and my dad and Martha and Alexis. How did he know? How did he know I was pregnant for that matter?"

They stare off at the murder board for a few minutes before Lanie comes up to address all of them.

"Kate…" she starts, completely surprised that her friend was anywhere near the precinct right now.

"Don't worry… there's an on call guy here to keep tabs on me…" Kate says, seeing the worry on her friend's face.

It's then that she also remembers what passed between the two of them at the hospital… the heated exchange they had when Lanie tried to calm her down, "I'm sorry about what I said."

"No… you're fine… in fact I already found out a few things…. Our Vic was 17 weeks pregnant… which tells me that this was a very clear message to you. She also had this tucked into her bra." She says, handing the bag over to Kate.

"I'm so glad you found each other… so sorry that I broke you apart so soon. I need him to feel more of that guilt, so I thought this would do the trick. Have you figured out the connection yet? So young… not ready." She reads the note out loud, placing it on the murder board next to a picture of the victim.

"He was following you guys… he had to be to know all these things." Ryan says trying to think of all the possibilities.

"Or he had the loft bugged. That was really the only place we ever talked about any of this… the baby, getting married."

"I'll send a team over to check the place." Esposito says. "Is Alexis still there?"

"I think that she was bringing some things over for me, grabbing lunch and whatnot. I don't know if she's still there. Martha says you guys sent a uniform over there earlier?"

"I'll call the guy we have over there now… Maybe it would be best if they were here too." Ryan says, looking at Kate for an answer.

"Yeah, let's get them over here… and my dad. They're the only ones that knew everything. Tyson would know that. And while you're doing that, I'm going to look into our vic. He says there's a connection, which tells me he wants to play a game this time around."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Alexis and Martha walk through the elevator doors, carrying bags of food and a bag for Kate.

"Do you know anything yet?" Alexis says, grabbing Kate for a hug.

"Nothing that leads us anywhere right now. We're having them check the loft for anything out of the ordinary."

"You think he was there?" Martha asks.

"I don't know how else he could know about everything like that. He knew how far along I was to the week and he knew about the marriage. He had to have ears somewhere."

"All right, well you need to get to a stopping point so you can eat and get your blood pressure checked." Martha says, pointing at Kate in the same way you would a small child.

"I'm looking through –" she starts making an excuse, stopping herself with the realization that her hand rested on the small swell of her stomach, "yeah, you're right."

They ate a small lunch, Kate only being able to eat so much, but knowing that she needed to get something down, and the doctor said that while her pressure was still elevated, it was lower than when they had her in the hospital.

"Well then, that's a good thing…. Now I'm told that we are stuck here for a while, so I'm going to see if I can round up something for myself to do… a newspaper perhaps?" Martha says, standing up after their meal.

"I brought a few books and a deck of cards if you'll have me…" Kate smiles at the familiar voice.

"Dad! I'm glad that you're okay." Kate says, walking over to her father and giving him a lingering hug.

"The detective who brought me in brought me up to speed, and Martha called me. Katie, you shouldn't be here… you should be resting."

"I've already told her the same, but your daughter is very stubborn… in a loveable way… She's not allowed to leave the precinct and we have a doctor monitoring her while she's here. Her blood pressure has even gone down a bit since the hospital." Martha tells him, and while he still looks apprehensive about the whole situation, he knows she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Dad… I can't let this be another mom case for me… I can't do that." She says, looking at her father with watery eyes.

"Kate… are you guys going to find him?" Alexis finally pipes in, and Kate moves to embrace the young girl.

Memories flooded back when she saw the lost look on Alexis' face… the same look she had on her face when she was told that her mother was dead. She couldn't let that happen here… She couldn't let two children lose their father like this.

"I have to, Alexis… there is no other option. I won't put you through that… I won't do to you what happened to me. We'll find him. I've got to get back out there… keep looking at what we have."

Alexis nods, and Kate moves to get back to the research she was doing into the victim, "Kate, how young was she?"

"Who?"

"The girl who was murdered? You said that he pointed out she was young and not ready… maybe that's the connection. She wasn't married… you guys weren't married when you got pregnant. You weren't even involved really."

Kate mulls over the words in her head, thinking that some of what Alexis said could be true. If he knew that she was pregnant, he had to have known what led up to the pregnancy… especially all the talks they had about that fact. "I never thought of it that way. Thank you, Lex."

Kate sits back down at the desk, looking over the details on the victim. Even after a call to her parents, who hadn't talked to her in a few years, there was nothing. She was not finding anything that jumps out at her, until she gets to the girl's medical history and she sees a familiar name… Dr. Sloane Meyers.

"That's the connection! She went to my OB… we have the same doctor. Maybe he watched the place… tried to find a woman around my term." She says, walking to the murder board and writing out her doctor's name.

"You got the number?" Ryan says, looking at the paper Kate was reading when she found the name.

"I do. I'll call right now." She says, picking up her phone and dialing the number quickly.

After explaining who she was and telling the receptionist that this was a professional call from the NYPD and not from the doctor's patient, she only waited a few minutes for the doctor to get on the phone.

"Kate?" the voice asks on the other end.

"Dr. Meyers… I'm glad that you're there."

"Is everything okay with the baby?"

"This is a professional call, but as of right now… yes… they baby is fine. I need to know everything about one of your patients, Rebecca White."

"I'm sorry, but you know that information—" the doctor starts, being cut off by Kate.

"She was murdered."

"Oh my… I um… I can tell you everything you need to know." The doctor falters a bit at her words.

"Dr. Meyers, do you mind coming down to the station to answer a few questions?" she asks, then thinking about what more connections she would find about the younger girl. "and before you do that, do you think that you could have your staff pull the information of any other single women you have coming into your office that are around my due date? I'll get the warrant sent over as soon as I can, but I know I won't have a problem getting it."

"I can, and I will. I'll get them started on that and rearrange some things to make it down there. I will bring the files with me when I come."

"Thank you." She says, hanging up the phone and gathering the other guys, "She's coming down so I can interview her, but I have a feeling that the connection is going to be a similar story to my own. They are pulling all their other single patients that are along my same timeline. Maybe we can stop him before he goes again."

"You think he's going to kill another girl?" Espo asks.

"I do… I think that he is going to stick to the same MO for the most part, and I think that he wants Castle to watch. If the time of death is correct, that is right before Castle left the loft. Based on what he said about needing Rick to feel more guilt… I think he killed her and brought Rick to see the body. The fact that she's pregnant… he's trying to get him to think that he's going to do it to me."

"Last time this happened, Castle was fine...he didn't hurt him… let him live."

"And I'm hoping that's true in this, but we have to be thinking that he's escalated… he's killing pregnant women, ripping them open like gutting a fish… something has changed. I get why he struck now… the marriage and the pregnancy, but I don't get why he has turned it into this… why did this trigger something in him?"

"Maybe it's just you… he knows that is what will get to you guys." Ryan says, pointing out the obvious truth in his statement.

"You could be right, but I want to know… I want to know everything about his mother and her pregnancy. We know he has mommy issues… so I want to start there…maybe something came to light more recently."


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Only one more chapter after this one, and I've had a few people PM me some suggestions for everything with what to do next... so keep those coming... I'm in need of my own muse to tell me what I could write... review the chapter or let me know what I could do next! Have an awesome day!**

An hour later, the doctor is strolling through the bullpen looking for Kate, who stands up at her desk to greet her. "Dr. Meyers thank you so much for coming in."

Kate walks her into another room to talk, and her concern is first for her patient, "I know you told me on the phone, but I need to hear it again; how are you doing?"

"I'm fine… my pressure is still up, but lower than when I was at the hospital. Now please tell me what you know about Rebecca."

"She came into the office a few months ago, and I've seen her twice. The first time was to confirm her pregnancy. She had taken a home test that came back positive, and she wanted to make sure. The second time was to do an ultrasound. She uh… she was contemplating terminating the pregnancy but wanted to see the baby first, hear the heartbeat. Many women do that to convince themselves to not go through with it."

"Why do you think she had planned to abort the pregnancy?"

"From what she told me, this was some random guy she met, she wasn't in any serious relationship, and since she moved to New York, she told me that she didn't keep in touch with her parents anymore… something about them disagreeing with what she was doing… her job. She didn't have many friends, so when she came in, she confided everything in me… she was a sweet girl."

"She decided to keep the baby though?"

"She did… after hearing the baby's heart beat, she said that she couldn't do that to herself or her unborn child."

"How far along was she during that appointment?"

"I think she was around 11-12 weeks at that point. Right now she would be at 17 weeks." The doctor says, not needing to look at the chart for reference.

"Are there any other similarities between the two of us other than how far along we were?"

"Aside from the fact that you were both single, I can't think of anything clinical that was similar. I gave you the option to talk about what you could do and you denied it immediately. She didn't… she wanted to know more. You both got an early ultrasound, but you were concerned about your pregnancy, and she did it to convince herself that she wanted the baby."

"Thank you for that… now can you think of any other patients that have similar stories… single, wanted to get rid of the baby or not, around my time frame?"

"I thought of a handful. I pulled everyone that I felt had similar stories to yours, like you suggested." She says, handing over a stack of files. "Do you need me to tell you about each one?"

"You know what, I think we would be better off going through each one ourselves, but we do appreciate the help. We'll call you if we need more information than what is in your notes."

"You think that there is a connection to me?" the woman finally asks, worried for herself as well as her patients.

"The only connection we think is possible is that you are my doctor."

"Are these women in danger?"

"Right now, we think they very well could be, so we are going to look into each one and take action if necessary. Please call us if you see anything out of the ordinary… or if someone doesn't come in… and if a man calls asking for information or cancelling an appointment, tell your receptionist to call us immediately with all the information."

"Okay, we will."

Kate stands up, shaking the woman's hand before leading her out the door and going back to the murder board.

"His next victim is going to be another patient of Dr. Meyers', I know it will be… single… we just have to figure out who it's going to be before he acts again." She says, when she feels someone behind her.

"You think it's that simple?" Ryan asks, knowing the way he did things in the past.

"It's the only thing we have going right now."

* * *

They start combing through everything, trying to find a link to the first victim. Kate knew that was where their answer was. We needed to find him through his next victim… and hopefully before she was his next victim.

"Hey Beckett… I mean… wait… what are we calling you now? I can't call you Castle." Espo says, holding up a file in his hand for her to see.

"You still call me Beckett…. At work, I'm Beckett."

"All right, well I got some more information about Tyson's mom and the pregnancy like you asked… she was scheduled to have an abortion at some point, but at the time it was on the rise and protests were common… so something happened at the clinic she was going to… she never got it done."

"But she was going to. That's where this is stemming from. He knew that I wasn't married when I got pregnant… a single woman just like his mother, but I didn't hesitate to keep it. Castle had been right about Tyson's mother… he told me that when he told Tyson that his mother never wanted him he saw it flash in Tyson's eyes. He knew that, but this was the confirmation of that."

"You were in a relationship though… that doesn't go with the story."

"I um…" she says, not knowing exactly how to talk about this with someone who knows both of them so well. "The baby… it was a one night thing. We weren't in a relationship yet… hell, I didn't think I wanted to be in that at that point either."

"Oh." He says, trying to not let the surprise come across on his features.

"It's okay Javier, we're all adults here… I think that is where this is coming from. I got pregnant while I was technically single and instead of running from the situation, I chose to keep the baby, get with the baby's father, and marry him. It's everything he wished his mother had done years ago. She would have wanted him then… that's what he thinks in his mind."

"So why you and Castle?" Ryan asks, trying to get into the guy's mind.

"We tried to put him away. He needed to scratch his itch for killing and I think he was just checking in on us… remembering how much he liked toying with Castle's head… with you guys. I think that this triggered something else for him and that's why he's doing what he's doing. He told Castle that he would have to live with the guilt of not getting him… he wanted the turmoil." Kate says, trying to think of a way to get him.

"Beckett, we got a call from a Dr. Meyer's office. One of her patients didn't show for an appointment. She wanted you to know that it's one of the ones they pulled." One of the uniforms comes in to tell them.

"Who is it?"

"Caroline Letigo."

"Find the file." Kate says, pointing to the stack of files they were working through.

Just then, Alexis comes through the bullpen, walking up to Kate, "Kate it's time for your blood pressure check… Gram told me to come get you."

"Alexis, I –" she starts, but is interrupted by Ryan.

"You go make sure baby Castle is doing all right in there… we'll check the file and locate her." He says, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She nods, following Alexis into the room where her "hostages" were sitting.

"I'm sorry you guys have to be here for all this. We just don't want to take any chances with you being out there right now." She says, as the doctor puts on a blood pressure cuff and takes down her numbers.

"Still elevated, less than the hospital, but more than an hour ago."

"Katherine, I think you need to take a break." Martha says, looking at the younger woman as she sits with her head in her hands.

"I can't."

"You can." Espo says, walking into the room, hearing the exchange.

"We called her apartment and no one is answering. We are headed there right now."

"He might know it was you guys." She points out, knowing that if Tyson knew the cops were close, he may escalate even further.

"No, we had Grafton call in her sweet receptionist voice to remind our patient of the appointment. He doesn't know it's us. You stay here, and we will call you the minute we find anything, okay?"

"Espo…"

"I know this is killing you Beckett, but we want him back as much as you do, and we want to put this guy away for life. We're going to get him. In the meantime I've got some of the uniforms calling the other patients that were pulled to ask them if they've seen anything odd or if they've had any repairs done to their homes recently. They will continue to work on that while we are gone. You are going to lie down on the couch in the break room and rest for a bit while we do all that, got it?"

"Thank you Espo." She says with a simple smile.

"Oh this is purely me trying to beat out Ryan for Godparent duties…. Don't worry." He replies with a wink and walks out the door, and out of the precinct.

"You heard him Kate, go lay down." Alexis says, gesturing to the room next door.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep." She replies.

"You might not sleep, but you can lay down."

"Come on, Katie… I'll get you set up." Her dad says, standing up and walking her over to the break room.

"Dad… if we don't find him… if Tyson does something… I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Right now it's out of your hands Katie… you guys have done everything that you could for now. You said yourself that this was the only lead you had, and it's being pursued. Now lay down for a minute, and I'll keep watch for the monsters."

"Dad, I'm not five…"

"Oh, but my dear Katie, you will soon realize that when you become a parent… in your eyes, your child is forever five years old and innocent." He laughs, placing a hand on her stomach as he does so.

"What was mom like when she was pregnant?"

"Weepy…" he laughs again, "everything made her cry. We couldn't even watch television because she would cry during the commercials. But she loved it. She absolutely loved being pregnant. Her whole face would light up when you were doing your sommersaults in there."

"I haven't felt the baby yet… I get these little flutters, but nothing significant."

"Your mom used to call those the gas bubbles. She honestly told me that it made her feel like she was about to pass gas, but it never happened. I still remember the first time I actually felt you kick. She squealed a bit while we were lying in bed reading one night and grabbed my hand. The second she placed it where she felt you kick last, you kickboxed against my hand. I knew that moment that you were going to be a fighter, Kate."

She rests her eyes for a few minutes while she listens to her father talk about her mom being pregnant, smiling all the while. When her phone rings, she isn't prepared for the caller on the other end.

"Beckett."

"Beckett? Now that isn't very nice to your husband, Mrs. Castle. You're still going by your maiden name on the job? I'm just calling to let you know that another young girl is gone… I left her in her apartment this time, but the music is on and the door is open, so her neighbors will find her. I'm sure you'll be hearing from them soon."

"Tyson, what did you do?" she says, standing up and moving to the bullpen to get someone's attention for a trace on her call.

"Oh… that? You women all think that you can just get pregnant and get rid of the baby… or rope some idiot into marrying you… now that just isn't fair. Do you even love him? I know he loves you… you should have heard him scream when I cut her open… I told him it was you… he even cried when I pulled the sheet away. He seemed relieved. I told him I would call you and let you know…"

"You're a sick bastard, you know that?" she practically bites into the phone, "What the hell do you want with us?"

"I just want to play… I'm wondering though, if you're going to figure out who's next… who is my number three going to be? I just wonder… and then after that, I won't have a reason to keep Castle here around anymore… maybe I'll make it 4 this year and step into a new genre. By the way, congratulations on the baby, Detective… hopefully you'll last longer than your own mother did. It would be a shame for both your children to live through the same fate as you."

At that, she did the one thing that she knew she shouldn't… she hung up. She let him know that he got under her skin.

"We've got a radius, but he's going to know that." The younger officer said after giving her the trace information.

"Damn it!" she screams, slamming her fists on the table in a rush of anger until her phone rings again.

"Beckett."

"Hey, we umm… we have another victim." Esposito says on the other end, causing Kate to pinch the bridge of her nose in stress.

"I know… he called."

"And said what?"

She relayed the conversation back to him, but realized that Tyson never mentioned the cops showing up or anybody being close, which could very well mean that he wasn't onto the fact that they were closer to him than he thought.

"Get all of those women under protection. Every single one of them needs to be under surveillance and we need to contact them. We need to do face to face contacts if necessary so they know what we are up against. He can't do this to someone else…" she starts ordering everyone around, very much in her element as the veteran detective of her division at the precinct.

"Kate?" she hears a small voice beside her and turns to face the young redhead.

"Alexis, you should be in the other room… you don't need to see and hear all of this."

"Can… ummm… can we talk?" she says, pointing towards another room in the precinct.

"come on." Kate says, linking an arm in hers and pulling her towards another room.

When they sit down, they do so in silence, Kate waiting for Alexis to come out and say what she knows is in her head right now.

"What if you guys don't find him?" she asks, a little more broken than she intended.

"We will." Kate says confidently.

"Okay… but what if you don't?"

Kate sits for a moment thinking about her and Castle…. Their relationship that didn't start months ago, but years ago. She was in love with him long before they ever really said the words. She even thinks of a promise she made Castle years ago regarding his daughter. If anything ever happened to him, he wanted her there. She pulls Alexis into her arms and tells her just that.

"Did I ever tell you that your dad asked me to take care of you if something ever happened to him? It was a year or so into our partnership, and I remember him asking me that when we were on a rather tough case. I still hold to that promise though, Alexis. If we don't find your dad, I will make it one of my missions in life to do all the crazy things with you that your father ever promised. I will be there for you every step of the way, and I just have one request…" she says to the younger Castle.

"What?" Alexis says, sniffling a bit.

"Your job is to tell this baby how amazing their father was. You know more of the stories of Castle as a dad, and I'm going to need help with that. I'm going to need help making sure that the baby knows him… but we're in this together, kid…"

They sit there for a few minutes, just holding onto each other and thinking their respective thoughts.

"This baby is so lucky… having you as a mom. You know you're going to be great, right?"

"That's what your father tells me, but I'm still not convinced." She says with a smirk on her face.

"I am."

"You know what I think?" Kate asks, and Alexis turns to look at her. "I think that this baby is even luckier to have you as its sister."


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Okay, so this is the final chapter of this specific fanfic... with the statement that I will probably make a new one that goes along with it as a sequel... I think I'm going to call it "Beyond Expectations"... and I don't know exactly where it is going to go, but some people have given me some ideas. If you have any please PM me or leave it in a review! Thanks to everyone for the awesome response to this fic. I haven't really written much for the Castle Fandom... but I'm realizing that it may be the best one I've ever written for. Enjoy!**

The rest of the evening, the team combed through everything that they could, and the Captain kicked the Castles out of the precinct along with Jim Beckett to go home.

"Detective, you need to rest, and I know that will be hard tonight, but you know that we have people working around the clock to help catch the bastard that's doing this. There is nothing more that you can do right now. Everyone is under surveillance, and you have uniforms waiting at the loft for you as well."

Kate takes a hesitant look around to the rest of her team, who was nodding in her direction. Again that battled raged on inside her. She knew that she needed to go home and rest because that was what was best for her and the baby… but Castle was out there somewhere.

"You'll call if anything turns up?"

"We will. We don't want you here any earlier than ten o'clock tomorrow morning." Gates says, starting to shoo the group out of the bullpen and into the custody of some others from the precinct.

* * *

When they get home she feels herself deflate a bit. She had kept it together all day at the precinct and the only thing that she could think of doing right now was crawling into herself and crying. She had absolutely no control of what was happening.

"I think I'm going to try to rest… see if I can fall asleep." She says to everyone else, "Alexis, can you show my dad the guest room?"

"yeah, I can do that, Kate."

When she gets into the bedroom, she thinks about last night, sleeping in the comfort of his arms as they have been for the past week or so. For a good twenty minutes she thinks about just that… her sleeping arrangements with her now husband. She wasn't a cuddly person by any means, but with him, she just felt safe. He would open up his arms to her and let his palm rest on the swell of her stomach and all she could do was smile.

Tonight was different though, she thought as she changed into some pajamas and looked at the empty bed. It was then that she let the tears fall, for the first time since the hospital that morning.

Alexis hears it first, and when Kate's father stands to go comfort his daughter, Alexis steps in, "No, let me…"

"Kate?" she hears from the now open doorway.

Kate sits up almost immediately, wiping at the tears and trying to act like there was nothing amiss. "Alexis, what's wrong?"

"Don't." Alexis says, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to Kate. "Don't act like you're okay just for me."

"You know he's probably the only one besides my dad that I ever let see me cry… like really cry. I hate it. I hate that I can be so vulnerable."

"It's okay, Kate. You have every right to be pissed off and scared and… just everything. I know I am." Alexis says, and Kate has to remind herself that the young girl isn't even out of high school yet.

Kate lets it all go then, crying into the shoulder of her stepdaughter as the younger Castle does the same. "Lex, I don't know if I can do all this without him… he… he brought me back, and now I don't know what to do."

"Please don't go. Don't leave… I just got you, so you can't leave." Alexis says then, making sure that Kate knew what she was feeling in that moment.

That is the only way that the two find any rest that evening, sleeping in the same bed with each other. At some point during the evening, Kate had started to hold on to Alexis, one hand caressing her head as Alexis rested on Kate's chest. That was how they were found in the morning by Jim and Martha, finally asleep.

"Her mother is not the best of role models… left when Alexis was very young. I've tried to be there for her in that way, but it wasn't until your daughter came along that I realized how much Alexis needed that." Martha says, pointing toward the closed bedroom door.

"I wish that Johanna could be around to see her as a mother. She would be so proud of the woman that she's become." Jim adds with a smile.

"So what do you think?" Martha finally asks.

"I hope, for my daughter's sake and your granddaughter's sake that she finds him. If she doesn't, I don't think Katie can pull through this."

Martha thinks for a moment, allowing her mind to drift off to when she realized that her son was in love with Katherine Beckett. "You know, I don't think that the two of them ever really realized how in love with each other they were… he would always pass it off. I called him out on it a few times, telling him that for all the other best sellers he wrote, he didn't need to research every day by shadowing a main character. He admitted that it wasn't about the books, but I don't think that he realized how much he loved her then."

"She would talk about him in a way that made it seem like she was annoyed with the shadow, but it never fooled me. He gave me my daughter back…. It was the carefree Katie that I had missed all these years, and I owe him so much for that. Then, when I actually met him the first time, I could see it in his eyes… how much he cared for her."

"I didn't think they made it like that anymore… love."

They're snapped out of their conversation by Martha's phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Rodgers? This is detective Esposito. I didn't want to call Beckett's phone in case she was sleeping, but we got another lead with the patients from the doctor's office."

"Do you want me to wake Katherine?"

"I'm already awake." Kate says, walking into the kitchen with Alexis trailing behind her sleepily.

"Ryan?" she says, grabbing the phone from her mother-in-law.

"It's Espo… we have the doctor's office on the line saying that a man called in to cancel someone's appointment for tomorrow. He left a message though, so we can listen to it."

"Have you been able to get ahold of that patient?"

"We haven't tried yet because we didn't want to spook him if he's there. We're sending someone over to her place first. Can you come down and listen to the recording?"

"We'll be right down." She says, hanging up the phone.

* * *

"Show me the patient file and get the recording ready." She says, walking off the elevator and onto the homicide floor at the precinct.

"Go find him, Momma Kate." Alexis smiles hesitantly, whispering under her breath, watching a woman that she has come to admire walk out and do what she thought was the hardest possible thing that anyone would be able to do.

"Angela Bell, 29 years old, single… lives in an apartment on the west side. We've been watching the building, but we haven't seen anything that was out of the ordinary."

"When did the call come into the doctor's office?"

"They found it while they were listening this morning, but the timestamp says that it was 6:00AM this morning." Espo says, cuing up the recording.

"Hi, this is Matt Bell… my sister Angela had an appointment for 12:00 today, but she's feeling sick, so she can't make it in. Can you please call back to reschedule?"

"It's him…. I'm 95% sure that it is." Kate says, straightening up. "Do we know anything about her?"

"She does have a brother named Matt, so we are trying to get ahold of him right now, to see if he really did make the call. Other than that, what do you want us to do?"

"The building… does it have a doorman?"

"Yes."

"Call the doorman and ask if there has been anything or anyone coming in or out that was not normal. If there was a single person that came in there that he didn't know, I want to know about it. Ask him to call in whoever was there last night too. Remember that Tyson liked to employ disguises to help him get where he needed to be. He could very well be dressed as anyone."

Two minutes later, Ryan walks over with a smile on his face, "Brother didn't make the call… we're going to get him."

"So you go." Kate says, looking to the two men that she trusts just as much as Castle.

"We've got this Beckett. We're going to get him, and we'll get Castle back for you and baby Castle in there… after all, my Godson needs to know how crazy his dad is… cause I don't think we could do it justice."

"YOUR godson?" Espo says back to him.

"Oh, it is on."

"Just bring him back to me." She says, tears welling up in her eyes. "I don't want a call unless you have him with you…"

The two nod, grabbing a few other officers that had been helping on the case to go to the scene.

* * *

"Why haven't they called yet?" Alexis says first, when an hour had passed and they hadn't heard anything.

"I told them to wait until they had Castle with them… I didn't care about anything else. They have to assess the situation before they can move into anything. We've got the other woman to think about as well, we can't just rush a scene." Kate says, rubbing circles on the younger woman's back as she's trying to calm her own nerves.

She hears the clapping first, and then the unmistakable sound of his voice calling to her. "Kate!"

She hears the voice, and turns her head towards it, seeing him for the first time since that morning and shooting up out of her spot and running towards him.

"Rick! Oh God!", she launches herself at him and he groans loudly at the sharp pain from her embrace.

"What happened, oh God, are you okay?" she asks, frantically looking over his body.

"We're pretty sure that he has a broken collar bone, but he wouldn't let us take him to the hospital until he came to see you. Other than that, they don't think that there was anything else wrong." Ryan says, smiling between the pair.

"You're okay though?"

"I'm going to be fine." He says.

Everyone appears all at once to welcome him home, but Kate can't help but be curious about how everything happened at the apartment.

"Tyson?" she asks the guys.

"Dead." Espo says, simply.

"How?"

She sees the nervous glance between Ryan and Esposito, and their looks to Castle. When he catches their eyes, his flit quickly to Kate's and then she sees him fighting to avoid her gaze.

"Castle, what did you do?"

"He didn't do anything. He was tied to a chair in the living room when we came in and Tyson had a gun on him. The girl was found tied up in the bedroom, but she was fine." Ryan tries to supply what happened at the scene.

She doesn't take her eyes off Castle then, knowing that the guys were trying to cover something that he did as something insignificant, "What happened?"

"He held the gun to my head when the boys came in…I had enough leverage with my feet that I knew I could tip myself forward and give the guys a clean shot." Castle says with a shrug of his shoulder, causing him to wince at the gesture.

"And…"

"I tipped forward and they shot."

"Castle…" she lets out with a harsh breath.

"Richard!" Martha says from her spot near her son, hearing the whole thing transpire.

"I couldn't see it ending any other way. He was either going to shoot me or shoot one of them. He was so nervous this time… he was shaky. I knew that he wouldn't be able to react fast enough to pull the trigger on me before they pulled it on him."

"You…. You need to get to the hospital… get your shoulder X-rayed." She says, choosing to ignore what he told her and choosing to focus on what she could do now which was lead him through the bull pen on the way to the hospital. She wasn't ready to feel all those feelings at once… wasn't ready to accept the real fact that she was that close to losing him.

In that moment though, she had another realization… she had done the same thing… risking herself and the baby to find him. Turning quickly she places a hand on his cheek before leaning in to place one of the sweetest kisses on his lips.

"Ahem." Martha clears her throat, "Maybe while you're there, you can get yourself checked out too, Katherine… you haven't had a blood pressure check since we left here last night."

"What!?" Castle says, turning wide eyes back towards her and glancing toward her stomach.

"I may have had a moment when I realized you were missing, and I may have left the hospital against medical advice, and your mother may have hired a doctor to monitor me throughout the day." Kate says, simply, trying to shrug the whole thing off in the same manner he did just a few moments ago.

When he catches her eye, there is a mutual understanding at the same moment, causing matching grins to spread across both of their faces.

"Oh please do tell me what you find so amusing about all this Richard?" Martha asks, clearly not impressed with the two of them.

"That's why she didn't yell at me about the chair… don't you see mother? We take these calculated risks together, always. I knew in my heart that Espo and Ryan were going to drop Tyson before anything could happen to me." Castle says, looking at his mother, but grasping Kate's hand at the same time.

"Just like I knew that me working this case was what was best for me and the baby, regardless of what the doctors said. I would have been more of a wreck if they made me stay there." Kate says, smiling back at Castle.

"So we go to the hospital and get checked out, and on my way there, you're going to tell me everything that happened." He says, pulling her to the elevator.

"And you're going to tell me everything that happened too."

"Are you two kiddi—Okay, you know what… the two of you are in for it you know?" Martha says, now with Alexis smiling beside her relieved that her father was back with them again.

"Alexis is the perfect daughter… she got all of Richard's good qualities… now this baby… the product of the two of you… Ha… You are going to be on your toes for the rest of your lives if this was any indication."

Castle turns to his wife with a smile then, "You in?"

Returning the smile, with a twinkle of love in her eye, "Always."


End file.
